BATON ROUGE, La. – Hurricane Francine raged across the south Louisiana Wednesday evening as a Category 2 storm, making landfall with devastating 100 mph winds to wind and dangerous storm surge along the Bayou State coastline.

Francine’s eye moved ashore in Terrebonne Parish at 5 p.m. CT and continued to bring hurricane-force winds to the southern part of the state near Baton Rouge. Minutes after landfall, the number of power outages in Louisiana rose to more than 42,500 without power.

Hurricane Francine makes landfall on Wednesday, September 11, 2024.

As stormy conditions arrived Wednesday afternoon, officials in Louisiana urged residents to stay put until emergency responders could safely reach them if needed. The conditions created by Francine also brought with them the threat of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, which are expected to continue through Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

LOUISIANA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR SUPPLIES AHEAD OF UPCOMING HURRICANE FRANCINE

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According to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Francine is located approximately 30 miles southwest of MorganstadLouisiana, or about 85 miles southwest of New Orleansand is moving northeast at about 17 mph. Maximum sustained winds are around 100 mph with higher gusts.

Power outages continued to grow in Louisiana, reaching more than 50,000 as of 5:15 p.m. CT, according to Poweroutage.us. These outages will continue to grow as Francine moves further north, affecting southeastern Louisiana and Alabama.

Hurricane force winds could reach western Metro New Orleans around 8 p.m. Wednesday evening.

Francine halts travel to New Orleans as emergency services stand by

By Wednesday afternoon, conditions had deteriorated to the point that all flights into and out of New Orleans International Airport were canceled.

Prior to Francine’s arrival, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the Bayou State.

“After declaring a state of emergency, we have now determined that this storm is so severe that an effective response exceeds the capabilities of state and local governments,” said Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. “This federal assistance is needed to save lives and property.”

Some parishes were under a mandatory curfew from Wednesday afternoon until dawn on Thursday, including Cameron Parish, where flooding occurred before the city made landfall.

Heavy rain and flooding hit New Orleans Wednesday night. Businesses along Bourbon Street remained open, according to FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillion.

Where is Francine going now?

According to the NHC, Francine is expected to gradually turn northward, with the center of Francine moving across southeastern Louisiana and southwestern and central Mississippi on Thursday.

Hurricane Francine Cone Weather Forecast

Francine became a hurricane on September 10, marking the peak of the 2024 hurricane season, when a named storm will most likely move across the Atlantic basin. As Francine moves north and eventually dissipates, the NHC is also monitoring several other systems in the Atlantic.