Francine made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in the Parish of Terrebonne located in southern Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon. Here is the latest on this developing situation. Latest on Hurricane Francine Just one day after the statistical peak of t

Francine made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in the Parish of Terrebonne located in southern Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon. Here is the latest on this developing situation.

Latest on Hurricane Francine

Just one day after the statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, a Category 2 storm made landfall in southern Louisiana. This part of the Gulf Coast will continue to be under the threat of heavy rain and gusty winds for the next several hours as the storm pushes farther inland.

Francine evolved from a tropical storm and into a Category 1 hurricane on Tuesday evening. The storm continued to intensify throughout the overnight hours as it fed on the warm ocean waters in the Gulf of Mexico, eventually making it to the status of a Category 2 storm with wind speeds of 100 mph just before landfall.

Francine is the third hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. this tropical weather season. The other two hurricanes to directly strike the U.S. were Category 1 storms.

Storm surge will likely be the biggest danger associated with this tropical weather maker. Meteorologists are forecasting a storm surge measuring between 6 and 10 feet across a large portion of the Louisiana coastline. Some pockets of inland bays in the south-central part of the state could see storms surge levels up to 15 feet during the height of the activity.

While storm surge will be the most treacherous immediate impact along the coastline, the far-reaching effects of the storm will be the heavy rain. Widespread rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches are expected for the Mississippi Delta region. The southern fringe of Louisiana will pick up rainfall amounts of 8 to 12 inches by the time that the storm dissipates.

Although Francine was moving at a fast clip as it came onshore, it is expected to slow down in speed when it pushes inland. This will result in more persistent rain showers across the south-central U.S. However, the Midwest is likely to dodge the moisture thanks to an area of high pressure centered over the central U.S.

High winds will also continue to whip around with max speeds expected to top out at about 130 mph along the south-central Louisiana coast.

Potential Lasting Impacts of Francine

Francine's impacts are expected to linger well beyond its initial landfall. Forecasters are warning that the fast movement of Francine will raise the risk of widespread power outages in areas located farther inland. Wind gusts of up to 80 mph are projected for much of southern and central Louisiana and across into western Mississippi.

The quick speed of the storm will mean that the winds will not have much time to die down after moving onshore, expanding its impact zone. Cities that could see significant numbers of outages include New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Meteorologists are also predicting that Francine could be a producer of tornadoes, similar to the impacts levied by Hurricane Beryl earlier in the summer. A mass of dry air is spinning within Francine's circulation field, laying the groundwork for thunderstorm development. Any chance of severe weather will naturally raise the risk of tornadic activity.

Wednesday's tornado risks will encompass southeastern Louisiana and the southern part of Mississippi and Alabama. The risk zone will expand on Thursday. A number of major cities will be in the crosshairs of the tornadoes, including Alabama metro areas Mobile, Montgomery, Huntsville, and Birmingham. The tornadic activity could stretch as far as Tallahassee, Florida.