Hurricane Francine now expected to hit Louisiana as a Category 2

The National Hurricane Center has projected Hurricane Francine, which became better organized overnight, to further strengthen over the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall in Louisiana later today.

Francine is now forecasted to make landfall somewhere around St. Mary Parish as a Category 2 hurricane, with 100 mph winds. Once it makes landfall, it's expected to quickly weaken.

Photo byWAFB Twitter/X

Francine is currently 245 miles southwest of Morgan City with maximum sustained winds currently at 90 mph, moving northeast at about 10 mph. Pressure is at 977 mb. Francine is expected to pick up speed as it approaches Louisiana's coast.

Photo byNHC Twitter/X

Baton Rouge and Lafayette's surrounding areas are under a hurricane warning, and the New Orleans area is under a hurricane watch with all of southeast Louisiana under a flood watch.