ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Hunter aircraft has confirmed that Francine is now a hurricane. As of 8 p.m., Francine had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and moving northeast at 10mph.
The storm is expected to continue to strengthen through part of Wednesday before making landfall along the Louisiana coast Wednesday afternoon or evening.
Hurricane warnings are in effect just east of Lafayette to west of New Orleans. Tropical storm warnings are in effect across Mississippi and to the Alabama, Florida border.
Earlier Tuesday a new Invest, 93L, was designated by the National Hurricane Center. The disturbance located off the African coast near the Cabo Verde islands has an 80% chance for development over the next seven days.
The next name on the list for the 2024 hurricane season is Gordon.