Francine unwinds: flood, tornado threat lingers

Francine, after coming ashore in southern Louisiana Wednesday evening, continues to unwind as it spins deeper into the South. Flooding downpours, widespread power outages and tornadoes remain threats through tonight.

The WeatherRadar shows Francine spreading tropical downpours across the Mississippi Valley into the South and Southeast. Flooding, which occurred overnight across Louisiana, remains a significant risk with more than five inches of additional rain possible. A few spots of northern and central Georgia, including Atlanta, could receive more than 6 inches of rain.

Winds continue to diminish as Francine moves inland. As it roared ashore overnight, it knocked out power across southern Louisiana. As of 2 p.m. CDT Thursday, more than 300,000 customers are without power, mainly across southern and eastern Louisiana. The WindRadar shows the evolution of the Francine as it moved ashore.

Another threat common with landfall tropical systems are quick-developing and quick-moving tornadoes. Francine won’t be any different. The threat for tornadoes extends from the Florida Panhandle, northward into central and northern Alabama. This includes Pensacola and Tallahassee, Fla., and Birmingham, Ala.

Weather & Radar meteorologists are tracking Francine’s remnants, and our weather reporter, Jonathan Petramala, is providing onsite reporting of local flooding across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.