Louisiana, Mississippi prepare for foot of rain as Tropical Storm Francine strengthens

Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Hurricane center forecasters say Tropical Storm Francine is continuing to strengthen and is expected to become a hurricane later Tuesday as it moves across warm Gulf waters off the Texas and Louisiana coastlines.

In its 1 p.m. EDT update , the National Hurricane Center said Francine had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph as it was located about 130 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande and about 380 miles southwest of Morgan City, La. Francine was moving north at 9 mph.

NHC forecasters earlier said that the storm should grow to a Category 2 hurricane by Wednesday.

"On the forecast track, Francine is anticipated to move away from the coast of northeastern Mexico and south Texas this afternoon, move across the northwestern Gulf of Mexico tonight, and then make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday," NHC forecasters said in their advisory.

A hurricane warning is in effect for the Louisiana coast from Sabine Pass eastward to Grand Isle, La.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Morgan City, La., to Grand Isle, La.; High Island, Texas, to Sabine Pass, Texas; East of Grand Isle, La., to the mouth of the Pearl River, including metropolitan New Orleans; Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for the Texas coast from Matagorda to High Island, as well as the Alabama coast from the Mississippi/Alabama border to the Alabama/Florida border.

Francine is packing heavy rain, which is expected to turn into urban and coastal flooding once the storm reaches land.

The storm system is expected to bring storm total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with local amounts to 12 inches across much of Louisiana and Mississippi through early Friday, according to forecasters, who warned about the increased risk this will bring for "considerable flash and urban flooding."

Earlier reports said tropical storm-force winds are extending some 140 miles from the center of the storm. This risk area will grow as the storm strengthens.

Port Fourchon to the mouth of the Mississippi River could see storm surge as high as 7 feet while High Island, Texas, near the Bolivar Peninsula, could see it reach 5 feet.

"The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves," the center said. "Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycles and can vary greatly over short distances."

The NHC said storm surge is not expected to pose a threat to reduction system levees.

So far this hurricane season there have been five other named storms -- Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby and Ernesto. Beryl, Debby and Ernesto became hurricanes.