Tropical Strom Francine expected to strengthen into hurricane

Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Francine was expected to become a hurricane Tuesday as it approached the Texas and Louisiana coastlines.

In its 8 a.m. EDT update , the National Hurricane Center said Francine had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph as it was located about 125 miles southeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande and about 395 miles south-southwest of Cameron, La. Francine was moving north at 5 mph.

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

A hurricane warning was in effect for the Louisiana coast east of Morgan City to Grand Isle.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Morgan City, La., to Grand Isle, La.; High Island, Texas, to Sabine Pass, Texas; the Mouth of the Rio Grande to Port Mansfield, Texas; La Pesca, Mexico, to the Mouth of the Rio Grande; 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 was in effect for Barra del Tordo to La Pesca, Mexico and Port Mansfield to High Island, Texas.

And a storm surge watch has been called for the mouth of the Mississippi River, La., to the Mississippi-Alabama border, Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain.

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

On the forecast track, Francine is anticipated to be just offshore of the coasts of northeastern Mexico and southern Texas through Tuesday and make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday.

Tropical storm-force winds are extending some 140 miles from the center of the storm.

Forecasters predict rainfall from Francine could range from 4-8 inches with isolated areas receiving as much as 12 inches. Storm surge could reach as high as 10 feet in Cameron and Vermillion Bay in Louisiana.

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.