Hurricane Francine Floods Parts Of The Deep South After Landfall In Louisiana (RECAP)

F​rancine formed into a tropical storm on the morning of September 9th, becoming the first Atlantic storm since Ernesto moved into the North Atlantic Ocean on August 20. It then became the fourth hurricane of the 2024 season on September 10th.

F​rancine gave only a glancing blow to parts of South Texas. Areas around Brownsville, Texas measured up to 7.44 inches of rain, resulting in street flooding.

Minor coastal flooding was along parts of the South Texas coast. The main road to the Starbase Spaceport south of South Padre Island was covered with water for at least one high tide cycle.

I​t's been 30 years since the last time the Atlantic Basin went through the first full week of September without any active tropical cyclones, according to WPLG-TV hurricane expert Michael Lowry.

A​nd Colorado State University tropical scientist Phil Klotzbach noted the last time the Atlantic Basin went from Aug. 13 though Sept. 8 without any storms forming was in 1968.

A​ wind gust to 102 mph was reported on Eugene Island, Louisiana, and Dulac, Louisiana, had gusts to 96 mph. T​he peak wind gust at New Orleans International Airport was 78 mph.

S​torm surge topped four feet in southern Louisiana, which put communities in Dulac and Cocodrie underwater.

P​ortions of the New Orleans metro area were put in a flash flood emergency warning on the evening following landfall. Rainfall totals in parts of the city topped 8 inches.

T​he highest rainfall total from Francine was actually in the panhandle town of Apalachicola, Florida, several hundred miles east of landfall. The town received 12.75 inches of rain. In Louisiana, Covington picked up the highest rainfall total with 9.69 inches.

T​hrough the following weekend, flooding occurred in multiple spots across Alabama as Francine's remnant spin drifted across Mississippi. Moulton reported more than a foot of street flooding while Eufala saw flowing rivers of water on streets on Sept. 14.