Francine brings heavy rain, wind to Memphis, Mid-South

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The remnants of Hurricane Francine are being felt all across the Mid-South on Thursday as the Tropical Depression moves through. Bands of rain touched the Mississippi-Tennessee state line around 4 a.m.

A wind advisory and flood watch has been issued for the Memphis and Mid-South area by the National Weather Service.

NWS says the wind advisory will be in effect until 1 a.m. bringing strong winds that can blow over unsecured objects. 20-25 mph wind speed with gusts up to 50 mph are anticipated.

A flood watch will be in effect until 10 p.m. with heavy rainfall of 4-6 inches or higher amounts.

The rain showers will also linger over to Friday morning. But heavy rains and high winds will pick up this afternoon and evening.

The timing of the storm has been pushed forward to later today and tonight, as the storm stalls over the region and eventually weakens and dissolves through Saturday.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Winds: 40-45 mph, tree limbs down, power outages
• Rain: 4-6 inches, localized flash flooding possible
• A few spin-up tornadoes

Shelby County is under a flood advisory. You can find all Severe Weather Alerts here , updated in real-time.

See school closings here .

Francine weakened Thursday after striking Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, sent storm surge rushing into coastal communities, and raised flood fears in New Orleans and beyond as drenching rains spread over the northern Gulf Coast.

New Orleans awoke to widespread power outages and debris-covered streets. Just before sunrise, street lights on some blocks were working but large swaths of the city were without power. The roar of home generators was evident outside some houses.

Some 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) of rain were possible in parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle, with up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) possible in some spots in parts of Alabama and Florida, forecasters said, warning of the potential threat of scattered flash flooding as far-flung as Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; and Atlanta.

Stay with WREG News Channel 3 all day for regular updates with our Weather Experts tracking the storm.

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