The National Hurricane Center is warning of a potentially life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds expected to hit the Louisiana and eastern Texas coasts mid-week. A tropical system forming in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico could develop into a hurricane and is forecasted to impact Louisiana and Texas by late Wednesday, Sept. 11. Texas has activated its emergency response system in preparation for the storm.
The system, not yet named, is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm by Tuesday and reach hurricane strength by Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has put state emergency responders on high alert and urged residents to take necessary precautions for potential tropical weather, including monitoring road conditions and having an emergency plan in place.
The storm is not anticipated to become a major hurricane, but “life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds” are predicted along the coasts of Louisiana and eastern Texas by mid-week. A tropical storm watch is in effect for northern Mexico and southern Texas. The system would be named Francine under the NHC’s protocol.
Francine is projected to make landfall in south-central Louisiana, with uncertainty whether it will hit as a tropical storm or hurricane. The agency forecasts it will weaken to a tropical storm by early Thursday morning. Heavy rainfall of four to eight inches, with localized amounts up to 12 inches, is expected from northeastern Mexico to southern Texas, southern Louisiana, and southern Mississippi, increasing the risk of flash and urban flooding.
The Atlantic hurricane season typically peaks in early September, and the 2024 season has been relatively quiet so far. Researchers note no named tropical storms or hurricanes since mid-August. The NOAA predicted a total of 17 to 24 named storms for the season, with eight to 13 becoming hurricanes and four to seven major hurricanes.
The NHC is also monitoring two other disturbances in the eastern and central tropical Atlantic, with one area having a 60 percent chance of forming into a tropical depression within the next 48 hours. Another area of low pressure to the east has a 60 percent chance of becoming a depression within the next seven days. Please rewrite this sentence.
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