Hurricane Francine devastates Louisiana with strong winds and life-threatening flooding

NEW ORLEANS – Hurricane Francine hit the Louisiana coast on Wednesday with damaging winds of 100 mph and a dangerous storm surge that left hundreds of thousands of electricity customers in the Southeast without power and dumped several inches of rain, causing a rare flash flood.

The eye of then-Hurricane Francine moved ashore in Terrebonne Parish at 5:00 p.m. CT, bringing hurricane-force winds to the southern region of the state near Baton Rouge.

FRANCINE TRACKER: FORECAST CONES, POWER OUTAGES, TIMES, ALERTS AND MORE

New Orleans reported wind gusts of 78 and 76 mph as Francine's eyewall moved through the Big Easy Wednesday night, while Dulac reported a gust of 97 mph and Eugene Island experienced a gust of 105 mph.

Francine has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, but the storm's dangerous and potentially deadly effects are expected to continue well inland.

WATCH: Hurricane Francine hits Louisiana with fierce winds and torrential rain

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Throughout Wednesday and into Thursday morning, the number of power outages continued to rise, with nearly 400,000 outages reported in Louisiana and nearly 17,000 in Mississippi, according to poweroutage.us.

A flash flood emergency was declared for parts of the New Orleans metro area as 0.5 inches of rain fell in just nine minutes and 45 inches in three hours, with rain continuing and life-threatening flooding possible.

As the water rose, cries for help came in from people who were trapped and had no way to escape.

Hurricane Francine: Landing satellite

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According to Craig Webre, sheriff of Lafourche Parish, more than two dozen people, including small children, had to be rescued from the floods.

The sheriff's office said its officers responded to a 911 call from residents who were trapped in their Thibodaux units due to rising floodwaters caused by torrential rains.

All residents were safely evacuated from the area and most were taken to emergency shelters.

The conditions caused by Francine also brought with it the threat of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms that were expected to last through Friday morning.

Francine halts travel in New Orleans while emergency responders stand by

Travel in the region was also impacted by airlines canceling flights to and from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport through Thursday morning.

A curfew was imposed in some communities from Wednesday afternoon until sunrise on Thursday, including the community of Cameron, where flooding occurred before the hurricane made landfall.

Before Francine's arrival, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the Bayou State.

“After declaring a state of emergency, we have now concluded that this storm is so severe that an effective response is beyond the capabilities of state and local governments,” said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. “This federal assistance is necessary to save lives and property.”

Where does Francine go next?

The NHC said Francine is expected to gradually drift northward, with the center of Francine reaching southeastern Louisiana and southwestern and central Mississippi on Thursday.

The center of circulation is expected to remain well inland, but the storm's impacts could extend for hundreds of miles.

Louisiana residents desperately search for supplies ahead of Hurricane Francine

As the remnants of the cyclone make their way through the South, weather advisories including wind warnings, flood warnings and other hazardous weather forecasts have been issued as far north as southern Missouri and as far east as Tennessee.

Including Francine, eight hurricanes have made landfall in Louisiana since 2000. FOX weather correspondent Robert Ray has reported on most of these landfalls.

“These guys are tough,” Ray, of Houma, Louisiana, said Wednesday.

Francine became a hurricane on September 10, marking the peak of the 2024 hurricane season, when a named storm is most likely to move through the Atlantic basin. As Francine moves north and eventually dissipates, the NHC is also monitoring several other systems in the Atlantic.

Francine was the third hurricane to make landfall in the Americas during the 2024 season. Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 cyclone near Matagorda, Texas, on July 8. About a month later, Hurricane Debby strengthened into a Category 1 cyclone before making landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida, on August 5.