Newly-formed Tropical Storm Francine was named in the Gulf of Mexico Monday morning.
Newly-formed Tropical Storm Francine was named in the Gulf of Mexico Monday morning.
Francine had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph as it moved north-northwest at 5 mph about 450 miles south-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
A hurricane watch was issued from Cameron eastward to Grand Isle in Louisiana.
Francine is expected to be just offshore of the northern Gulf Coast of Mexico through Tuesday, and approach the Louisiana and Upper Texas coastline on Wednesday.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
The storm is expected to gradually strengthen over the next few days and was likely to become a hurricane before it reaches the northwestern U.S. Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
While it's the sixth system of the season, the name may strike you as unfamiliar. If so, you're correct.
This is the first time that Francine has appeared on the World Meteorological Organization's list for Atlantic basin storm names.
It replaced Florence from the 2018 season due to its noteworthy impacts to North and South Carolina.
Florence was retired at the end of that season, replaced with Francine.
Hurricane Season
The NBC 6 First Alert Weather team guides you through hurricane season
The WMO names are used in six year cycles, thus making 2024 Francine's debut.
Barring any extreme outcomes, the name will stay with the 2024 group and repeat again in 2030.
