Louisiana is expected to be hit by a Hurricane

The Louisiana Tropical-Structure-Surface Typhoon’s Wind is Moving Toward the Gulf of Mexico: State Climateologist Jay Grymes

The maximum sustained winds are expected to strengthen and make landfall as a Category 2 typhoon on the central Louisiana coast.

Louisiana will start to see the tropical-storm-force winds moving inland by mid-morning on Wednesday, with Francine making landfall mid-afternoon, Grymes said. Residents will need to have any preparations complete by then.

The NWS in New Orleans warned residents: “Now is the time to double check your supplies & review your plans. Don’t wait till tomorrow.” It recommended to Louisianans to charge electronic devices, get water, remove debris from drains, check first aid kits and prescriptions, and have a plan for pets.

The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico are assisting the development of the storm. The warmer waters are a hallmark of climate change.

New Orleans and Baton Rouge are located in a large area of southeast Louisiana that could get some flooding rain and tornadoes. Schools in Baton Rouge are closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to a state of emergency. School systems across the state will be closed on Wednesday. NPR member station WWNO has a list of which school systems are closing.

Cameron Parish, in the state’s southwest, and a large section of Terrebonne Parish, in the southeast, are under mandatory evacuation orders. The map offered by the state’s transportation department is for emergency vehicles.

As of 2 p.m., the storm is in the Gulf, which is 130 miles east of Mexico’s Tamaulipas state. The forecasters said that the storm is moving northeast and away from the coastlines of Mexico and Texas.

“We need to keep our eyes on this one. It won’t be Laura, it won’t be Ida, but that storm is going to have a big impact on Louisiana, state climatologist Jay Grymes told reporters.