Hurricane Francine heads toward Louisiana: NPR

Francine strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday evening as it moved from the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana. Meteorologists are warning residents to prepare for the storm.

A hurricane warning is in effect for much of southern Louisiana as the storm is expected to arrive on Wednesday.

Storm surges, strong winds, heavy rains and flash flooding are expected in Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and Texas. Meteorologists say southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle could also see severe weather.

“We have to keep an eye on this. It won't be Laura, it won't be Ida, but the impacts of this storm will still be large as it moves into southern and southeastern Louisiana,” state climatologist Jay Grymes told reporters.

Ahead of Hurricane Francine, cars drive through rain bands along Peter Road, just outside New Orleans, in Harvey, Louisiana, on Tuesday.

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The storm is located in the Gulf at 8 p.m. ET, about 150 miles east of the U.S.-Mexico border. Meteorologists say the storm is moving northeast and away from the coasts of northeast Mexico and southern Texas.

The storm reached maximum winds of 75 mph (120 kph) on Tuesday evening, but the National Weather Service says Francine is expected to continue to strengthen and make landfall on the coast of central Louisiana as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane.

Louisiana will begin battling the first tropical storm-force winds inland Wednesday morning, Grymes said. Francine will make landfall in the afternoon. By then, residents must have completed all preparations.

Rainfall in southern Louisiana could be between 4 and 8 inches by Friday morning, forecasters said. Parts of eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, southern Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle could see as much as 12 inches. The heavy rains will push some rivers above the flood mark. “All of south-central and southeast Louisiana are under pressure from this storm,” Grymes said.

The coast of south-central Louisiana is most at risk for storm surge, with 5 to 10-foot surges possible along the coast between the Atchafalaya River and Port Fourchon, the NWS said.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for coastal areas not under a hurricane warning. This includes extreme southeastern Louisiana, as well as coastal Mississippi, Alabama, and the upper Texas coast.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry declared a statewide emergency on Monday.

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for Cameron Parish in the southwest of the state and much of Terrebonne Parish in the southeast. Iberia Parish in central south Louisiana recommended that residents south of Highway 90 evacuate. Nearby St. Martin Parish also recommended that residents in the low-lying areas of Lower St. Martin Parish (Stephensville and Belle River) evacuate.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation has provided a map of evacuation routes.

Both New Orleans and Baton Rouge are in a large area of ​​southeastern Louisiana where severe flooding and multiple tornadoes could occur. The mayor of Baton Rouge has declared a state of emergency and schools are closed Wednesday and Thursday. Schools across the state will remain closed Wednesday. NPR member station WWNO has a list of schools that will be closed.

The unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico favor the formation and intensity of the storm. The warmer waters are a sign of climate change.