Hurricane tracker live updates: Francine downgraded to tropical depression after making landfall in Louisiana

Parts of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi have wind advisories in effect as Francine brings strong winds and gusts as high as 50 mph to the Southeast, according to the National Weather Service.

Areas in Tennessee are expected to experience wind gusts up to 45 mph and have wind advisories in place until Friday morning.

Wind advisories for portions of southeast Arkansas, northeast Louisiana and much of Mississippi are in effect until 7 p.m. local time on Thursday.

North Central and Northwest Georgia may experience isolated gusts nearing 35 mph, the NWS said. North and south portions of the Atlanta metro area will also experience wind gusts up to 35 mph. A wind advisory is in effect until 5 a.m. local time on Friday.

Parts of Alabama, including the southern and northern parts of the state, and northwest Florida are expected to get wind gusts up to 40 mph. Wind advisories are in place until 1 p.m. Thursday in some parts of Alabama and Florida, stretching into Friday morning in areas like Huntsville, Ala.

Tornado watches are in effect for southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle until 1 p.m. local time in the following counties, according to the National Weather Service:

Florida

• Bay

• Calhoun

• Escambia

• Franklin

• Gulf

• Holmes

• Jackson

• Liberty

• Okaloosa

• Santa Rosa

• Wakulla

• Walton

• Washington

Alabama

• Butler

• Covington

• Escambia

• Houston

• Coffee

• Crenshaw

• Geneva

• Monroe

• Conecuh

• Dale

• Henry

• Wilcox

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said that no injuries have been reported and around 51,000 people were without power in the state on Thursday morning.

"This is down from a high of approximately 64,000," Reeves wrote on X. "Over 160 people used shelters last night. Several roads are closed in coastal and central counties due to flooding." He noted that "heavy rain is expected to continue through at least this afternoon, so please continue to stay weather aware."

Francine is expected to dump around 3 to 6 inches of rain through parts of Mississippi on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

"Downed trees & power outages along with flash flooding & minor river flooding have already been reported and are expected to continue," NWS Jackson MS said. A flood watch is in effect until 1 p.m. local time.

Meteorologists also reported wind gusts of up to 50 mph in central and northern Mississippi. A wind advisory is in effect until 7 p.m.

Scenes of flooded roads and residents assessing the damage done by uprooted trees in their neighborhoods emerged in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine.

Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies said they safely rescued 26 people, including small children, trapped in their homes by rising floodwaters in Thibodaux on Wednesday evening.

The people were taken to a local emergency shelter, local news outlet WGNO reported.

Residents in other parts of Thibodaux were also rescued by deputies in other parts of the parish, including the Kraemer neighborhood.

New Orleans International Airport recorded 7.32 inches of rain on Wednesday, breaking the daily record set in 1998, when 5.64 inches fell, according to local meteorologists.

Francine is bringing heavy rain to a large swath of the southeast as it moves inland.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm is expected to dump 3 to 6 inches across portions of Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

"Localized amounts up to 10 inches are possible within rain bands over portions of central and northern Alabama and over the Florida Panhandle," the weather service said. "This rainfall could lead to locally considerable flash and urban flooding."

Even though Francine has weakened, the National Weather Service warns that hazards still remain. "This is NOT the time to put your guard down," the NWS New Orleans office wrote online.

According to PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks utility companies across the country, more than 390,000 customers in Louisiana were without power as of 8 a.m. ET, or roughly 20% of the total number tracked in the state. Most of the outages were in Terrebonne, Lafourche and Jefferson parishes, near where Francine made landfall.

Francine was downgraded to a tropical depression on Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory on the storm.

The storm made landfall on Wednesday evening as a Category 2 hurricane, before weakening to a tropical storm.

Meteorologists said that "heavy rainfall" is now spreading across Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

The storm is currently around 30 miles south of Jackson, Miss., with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.

Francine was downgraded to a tropical storm late Wednesday night by the National Hurricane Center, as the storm's power decreased after it made landfall earlier in the evening.

All hurricane watches have been discontinued, and hurricane and tropical storm warnings west of Intracoastal City have been discontinued. The storm surge warning west of Avery Island has been discontinued. The bulletin warned that "heavy rains and wind gusts to hurricane-force" were still happening in Metropolitan New Orleans.

A number of watches and warnings are still in effect.

Storm surge warning for:

• Avery Island, La., to the Mississippi/Alabama border

• Vermilion Bay, La.

• Lake Maurepas, La.

• Lake Pontchartrain, La.

Tropical storm warning for:

• Intracoastal City, La., to the Alabama/Florida border

• Lake Maurepas, La.

• Lake Pontchartrain, La., including metropolitan New Orleans

A storm surge warning signifies "there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, beginning shortly for the indicated locations," according to the hurricane center.

A tropical storm warning means storm conditions are expected somewhere in the area.

A flash flood emergency has been issued for parts of Southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, as heavy rains and winds from Francine douse the e

Francine made landfall Wednesday afternoon as a Category 2 hurricane, bringing winds of 100 mph to Louisiana. As of Wednesday night, Francine was moving northeast and had been downgraded to a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

"This general motion should continue, taking the system across southeastern Louisiana tonight and across Mississippi Thursday and Thursday night," the hurricane center projected.

The storm is forecast to bring as much as "12 inches (of rain) across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday night."

Flash flooding is possible in these areas as well as the threat of tornadoes.

The storm will have a far-reaching impact as it drenches the Southern U.S. for the rest of the week.

"Across portions of the Lower Tennessee Valley, Lower Mississippi Valley, northeast Florida and Alabama, rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches with local amounts of 8 inches are possible through Friday morning. This rainfall could lead to flash and urban flooding," the NHC said.

By Friday afternoon, the storm will have reached Northeastern Arkansas and Western Tennessee, and by early Saturday morning Francine's effects will be felt in Southern Missouri, according to current projections.

Almost 250,000 customers are without power in Louisiana as of 9:25 p.m., as Francine moves inland after making landfall earlier in the day.

The outages are heaviest in the southern parishes near the coast, including St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, Jefferson, Orleans, East Baton Rouge, and Ascension, according to PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks outages across the country.

The effects of Hurricane Francine are now being felt across the New Orleans area, the National Hurricane Center said in its 9 p.m. ET update.

"Heavy rains and gusty winds are spreading across metropolitan New Orleans," the hurricane center said. "An observation in Lakefront Airport has recently reported sustained winds of 37 mph (59 km/h) with a gust to 49 mph (80 km/h)."

"Conditions are expected to continue to deteriorate during the next couple of hours," the bulletin additionally warned.

Weather Channel meteorologist Paul Goodloe was struggling to stay upright as he reported from the city Wednesday night.

Satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Francine moving across the Southern U.S. Wednesday.

Roughly 175,000 customers are now without power in Louisiana, as Francine continues to ravage the state's coast.

The outages are concentrated in St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Assumption parishes, according to PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks outages across the country.

Video from local media in Southern Louisiana showed strong winds and rain from Francine battering the region.

As Francine moves inland, the storm brings the threat of tornadoes with it. The National Weather Service has extended its tornado warning into the outheastern U.S. for Thursday.

"A few tornadoes will be possible, mainly in the morning and afternoon from the Florida Panhandle to north-central Alabama," the weather service said.

The National Hurricane Center issued a new series of warnings at 8 p.m. ET for Hurricane Francine:

Storm surge warnings:

• Vermilion/Cameron Parish, La., to the Mississippi/Alabama border

• Vermilion Bay, La.

• Lake Maurepas, La.

• Lake Pontchartrain, La.

Hurricane warning for:

• The Louisiana coast from Vermilion/Cameron Line eastward to Grand Isle

Hurricane watch for:

• Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain, including metropolitan New Orleans

Tropical storm warning for:

• The Louisiana coast from Cameron to the Vermilion/Cameron Line

• East of Grand Isle, La., to the Alabama/Florida border

• Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain, including metropolitan New Orleans

According to the hurricane center, a storm surge warning means "there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, beginning shortly for the indicated locations."

A hurricane or tropical storm warning means conditions are expected in the area, while a watch means conditions are possible.