Tropical Storm Francine expected to be a hurricane by Wednesday

( NewsNation ) — Tropical Storm Francine formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane, making landfall along the coast of Louisiana on Wednesday night.

“We’re going to have a very dangerous situation developing by the time we get into Wednesday for portions of the north-central Gulf Coast primarily along the coast of Louisiana,” Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center, said Monday .

Brennan said there’s a potential for life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds in that area.

Here’s what we know as of Monday afternoon.

Where is it headed?

Tropical Storm Francine is already drenching parts of northeastern Mexico and deep South Texas, where some areas could get up to 12 inches of rainfall into Monday night, Brennan said.

From there, the storm is forecasted to head northeast and make landfall as a hurricane along the Louisiana coast on Wednesday evening. As of early Monday afternoon, the hurricane center said the storm was becoming stronger and better organized.

If the current course holds, the storm could blow northward through Mississippi early Thursday and then into the Illinois area by Saturday.

When and where will it hit land?

Storm surge and hurricane watches are now in effect for Southern Louisiana, with Francine expected to make landfall as a hurricane sometime Wednesday night.

“You’re going to want to have your preparations basically complete by nightfall Tuesday night,” Brennan said, pointing out that tropical storm conditions are expected to hit the coast Wednesday morning.

The storm surge watch is in effect from the Texas coast near Galveston across the entire coastline of Louisiana and Mississippi.

The most severe storm surge is expected between Cameron and Port Fourchon along Louisiana’s coast. There the peak surge could reach up to 10 feet above ground level, according to the hurricane center . The region from Cameron to High Island on the Eastern Texas coast could also see 3 to 5 feet of storm surge.

A hurricane watch is in effect from Cameron to Grand Isle, nearly the entire Louisiana coastline. The state’s largest city, New Orleans, is under a tropical storm watch.

As of early Monday afternoon, Tropical Storm Francine was located about 450 miles south-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana, sustaining top winds of about 60 miles per hour, the hurricane center said. It was moving north-northwest at 5 mph.

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