Hurricane Francine Targets the Gulf

Right on cue for the peak of hurricane season, Francine is strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico. Residents from Texas to Louisiana are nervously eyeing the storm, which is projected to make landfall on the Louisiana coast sometime Wednesday afternoon as possibly a Category 2 storm. A hurricane warning is in effect for most of the Louisiana coast and parts of extreme East Texas.

Here’s the track from the 5 am EDT Tuesday update from the National Hurricane Center: 

The last thing the Louisiana coast needs is more rain. Over the last week, over a foot fell in the southern part of the state. However, they could see nearly that much and a storm surge of up to 10 feet as Francine heads that way. That kind of rain could cause flash flooding from Wednesday to Thursday. Heavy rain is expected across the Lower Mississippi River Valley even after the storm comes inland.

And, as with any landfalling storm, there is the threat of severe weather in the form of tornadoes. Currently, the Storm Prediction Center has a level 3 out of 5 threat of storms that could produce tornadoes, mainly east of the center of the track.

STEERING THE STORM

Even though the storm seems to be “stuck” just southeast of Brownsville in the Gulf of Mexico, it is lodged between two steering influences in the upper levels of the atmosphere. There is a ridge of high pressure in the eastern Gulf and an approaching trough of low pressure moving through the state of Texas.

The forecast indicates that the trough will have enough influence to steer the storm away from the Texas coast. However, it is possible the storm will grow strong enough to meander or the trough may not move in fast enough or be strong enough to limit any effects along the Texas coast.

Residents in Houston remember all too well the early projections of Beryl back in July, which had the storm making landfall around Corpus Christi. In fact, the storm stayed parallel to the southern Texas coast and then headed northward, making landfall closer to Freeport. It brought destructive wind and rain to Metro Houston, knocking out power for over a week.

As always, with an approaching hurricane, anything is possible, and coastal residents should prepare and listen to local officials.

PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS

Even though you may not be in the storm's direct path, you may have an impact. WeatherCall instantly notifies you of danger so your business can prepare. Our unique process provides phone calls, texts, and emails. Additionally, we provide an “all-clear” to know when the threat passes. This reduces downtime and lost revenue.

Does your business have access to this kind of business continuity tool? If not, let us help you prepare. We can even set up a demo so you can see what we deliver and how we're different.

If you’d like to discuss your current severe weather plans and learn about your options, contact me at gene.norman@weathercall.net.

Gene Norman is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and consultant for WeatherCall. This nationwide company offers WeatherCall Enterprise, which provides businesses with weather information needed to make critical safety decisions, and HazardCall. In addition, this app lets property managers reach residents with urgent messages and site-specific weather alerts.