After weeks of inactivity, a tropical rainstorm is taking aim at the Gulf of Mexico, according to AccuWeather.
At 11 a.m. EDT on Monday, the tropical rainstorm that AccuWeather hurricane experts have been monitoring in the Bay of Campeche since Saturday has strengthened into Tropical Storm Francine, according to the news report.
The storm is expected to curve northward and intensify into the next hurricane of the season over the upcoming days, according to AccuWeather.
They say that rounds of heavy rain, damaging wind gusts, and saturated ground could lead to downed trees, power outages, and structural damage from portions of northeastern Mexico to the southern U.S.
Courtesy AccuWeather
Where is Tropical Storm Francine?
Francine is currently located off the coast of the Mexican state of Veracruz and is expected to maintain or slowly strengthen in wind intensity early this week as it drifts northward, thanks to the abnormally warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, according to AccuWeather.
By Wednesday, AccuWeather meteorologists say that Francine will reach hurricane strength (categorized on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with sustained winds greater than 74 mph).
"As Francine continues to churn over the very warm waters of the Bay of Campeche, we expect it to become even more organized. Increased wind intensity is expected over the course of this week before making landfall along the southern Gulf Coast,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Isaac Longley.
A crucial window to monitor Francine will be from late Tuesday to Wednesday, as this is when forecasters are most concerned for rapid strengthening.
"We urge anyone with interests along the northern and western Gulf Coast to follow the progress of Francine very closely," said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva.
“One of the main concerns with this storm is that it is forecast to move into an area already impacted by heavy rain and flooding from a separate tropical rainstorm this past week. The ground across far eastern Texas and into Louisiana is already saturated, so it would not take much rain to cause flooding across these areas," according to Longley.
When was the most recent hurricane in Louisiana?
The most recent hurricane to hit Louisiana was Ida in 2021.
Between 2019 and 2021, Louisiana had eight tropical storms or hurricane landfalls, including major hurricanes Laura and Ida, according to AccuWeather.
In addition, in 2020 Hurricane Sally tracked just east of the state's boundaries, and Tropical Depression Nicholas passed through the southwest part of the state. Two tropical rainstorms, previously tropical storms, also affected the state: Olga in 2019 and Beta in 2020.
AccuWeather hurricane experts warn that tropical entities are likely to form further across the open waters of the central and eastern Atlantic over the upcoming week.
Two waves are being monitored for tropical development, according to AccuWeather. The first area of concern is located a few hundred miles west of Cape Verde and will slowly track westward across the open Atlantic over the upcoming days. From early to midweek, it will pose a high risk for development.
The second tropical wave is expected to emerge off Africa over the upcoming days and is projected to advance in a generally westward direction as the week progresses. This feature poses a high risk for development from mid to late week.
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