Francine now a tropical depression

Francine is now a tropical depression and is out of Louisiana.

According to the National Hurricane Center's 7 a.m. Thursday update, Francine has maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour. The center of circulation was just south of Jackson, Mississippi.

NHC forecasters say Francine will continue to weaken rapidly as the storm continues to push across the southern United States.

"The system is highly sheared due to its interaction with a mid- to upper-level trough to the northwest," forecasters said in their 4 a.m. discussion. "Francine is quickly losing tropical characteristics, and surface observations indicate the surface center is located south and west of the heaviest rainfall."

The NHC will issue its next Francine advisory at 10 a.m.