September 9, 4 p.m.
Francine has shifted westward, pushing the predicted track closer to the Texas coast before it makes landfall Wednesday in Louisiana. A Tropical Storm Watch is now in effect for the entire Texas coastline except from High Island to Sabine Pass, which is now under a Tropical Storm Warning. It is now expected to pass by our coast offshore as a category 2 hurricane Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. For our local coastline, we expect a storm surge tide of 1 to 3 feet above normally dry ground, a few inches of rain, and wind gusts over 50 mph. Impacts for inland communities like Houston will be minimal with less than one inch of rain likely and wind gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range.
