Francine updates: Storm pushes across South as tropical depression

Francine made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane.

ByKevin Shalvey, David Brennan, Emily Shapiro, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: September 12, 2024, 3:43 PM EDT

Hurricane Francine made landfall Wednesday evening in Louisiana, southwest of New Orleans, as a Category 2 storm. Francine has since weakened to a tropical depression as it brings heavy rain to the South on Thursday.

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Here's how the news is developing.
Sep 11, 2024, 5:29 AM EDT

New Orleans under Hurricane Watch

Emergency officials in New Orleans, Louisiana, warned residents on Tuesday that they should be prepared to shelter in place as Hurricane Francine approached landfall.

A Tropical Storm Warning and Hurricane Watch were issued for areas along the southern Louisiana coast, including New Orleans. A Flood Watch was also issued in Orleans Parish through Thursday morning, the city said.

Workers from the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West close floodgates along the Harvey Canal, just outside the New Orleans city limits, in anticipation of Tropical Storm Francine, in Harvey, La., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
Gerald Herbert/AP

Mayor LaToya Cantrell signed an emergency proclamation.

"The storm track has shifted more towards the east, which has the potential to worsen impacts for the city, but the storm remains disorganized," the city said in a statement.

-ABC News' Kevin Shalvey