WARNING: Francine Could Bring Destructive Storms to Louisiana

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This beautiful fall weather and cooler temperatures we're experiencing will soon come at a cost.  Enjoy the sunshine today, because things will be changing soon, but how much will the tropical storm moving through the gulf affect the Arklatex?

On this 59th anniversary of Hurricane Betsy, that struck Louisiana on September 9th, 1965, another tropical storm is headed toward the Louisiana coast.

When asked about landfall for the storm, now offically named Tropical Storm Francine, Weather Channel meteorlogist Ken Boone told KEEL News on Monday,

Right now the thinking is more  Louisiana than the upper Texas coast, but again, until it gets that well defined center, and we get a good grip on exactly the makeup of this storm, I'd be concerned with the upper Texas coast all the way along the southern Louisiana coast.  Boone continued, "But the trend with the models has been to push it more further towards the east, so more of a Louisiana coastal landfall.

 

According to the National Weather Service, the storm could bring potentially very heavy rainfall and localized flooding.  Currently, Francine is forecast to move generally northwestward then moving north/northeastward, or along the Gulf Coasts of Texas and Louisiana, with additional strengthening possible by the middle of this week.

Fortunately for us in Northwest Louisiana, the effects are projected to be much less than the southern and middle portions of the state. The current Shreveport forecast from the National Weather Service calls for:

Tuesday Night- A chance of showers between 1am and 4am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.  

 Wednesday  A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 78. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. 

 Wednesday Night- A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. 

 Thursday-  A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. 

The National Weather Service says:

There still remains plenty of time for changes in the track of this system.  Current trends indicate the main impacts would be gusty winds and the threat of heavy rainfall, leading to the possiblity of flash flooding across the Four State Region.