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Fear of deadly storm surge as Hurricane Francine strengthens

A hurricane warning is in effect along the Louisiana coast from Cameron to Grand Isle.

Bridges are closed just miles from the Gulf of Mexico as the effects of Hurricane Francine are felt along the Louisiana coast (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Bridges are closed just miles from the Gulf of Mexico as the effects of Hurricane Francine are felt along the Louisiana coast (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP) (Chris Granger/AP)
By Associated Press Reporter

Hurricane Francine has strengthened into a Category 2 storm and is expected to make landfall in Louisiana.

Forecasters have raised threats of a potentially deadly storm surge, widespread flooding and destructive winds on the northern Gulf coast.

Francine is drawing fuel from exceedingly warm Gulf of Mexico waters.

The storm is forecast to crash into a fragile coastal region that has not fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021.

Landfall is forecast on Wednesday afternoon or evening.

A hurricane warning was in effect along the Louisiana coast from Cameron eastward to Grand Isle, about 50 miles south of New Orleans, according to the National Hurricane Centre.

A storm surge warning stretched from the Mississippi-Alabama border to the Alabama-Florida border. Such a warning means there is a chance of life-threatening flooding.