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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Sep 11, 2024, 5:49 AM EDT

Francine 295 miles from Louisiana coast

Hurricane Francine is expected to make landfall southwest of New Orleans as a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon.

As of early Wednesday, Francine was 295 miles southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, heading northeast at 10 mph.

Data collected by Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated that the storm strengthened in the early hours of Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds close to 85 mph -- up from 75 mph on Tuesday night.

This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 7:10 p.m. ET shows Hurricane Francine in the Gulf of Mexico as it advances towards Louisiana on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP

-ABC News' Melissa Griffin

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