Francine slowly but surely weakening as it pushes farther inland

Francine continues to cling to tropical storm strenght despite weakening over the last three hours.

According to the National Hurricane Center's 4 a.m. Thursday update, Francine has maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour with a minimum central pressure of 992 millibars. The center of circulation is a few miles northeast of Franklinton and moving to the northeast at 12 miles per hour.

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 7 a.m.