Francine made landfall Wednesday afternoon as a Category 2 hurricane, with 100 mph winds in Louisiana. By Wednesday evening, Francine was moving northeast and had been downgraded to a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center said.

“This general motion is expected to continue, with the system moving across southeastern Louisiana tonight and Mississippi Thursday and Thursday night,” the hurricane center predicted.

The storm is expected to bring as much as 12 inches of rain to southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday night.

There is a risk of flash flooding and also tornadoes in these areas.

The storm will have far-reaching consequences and will ravage the southern US for the rest of the week.

“Portions of the Lower Tennessee Valley, Lower Mississippi Valley, northeast Florida, and Alabama will see rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches through Friday morning, with localized amounts of 8 inches possible. This rainfall could result in flash flooding and urban flooding,” the NHC said.

Current forecasts indicate that the storm will reach northeastern Arkansas and western Tennessee by Friday afternoon. By early Saturday morning, Francine’s effects will be felt in southern Missouri.