Hurricane Francine is being compared by many to Super Typhoon Beryl, the strongest storm in the world in 2024, which made landfall in Southeast Texas (USA) on July 8.
Hurricane Francine Rapidly Intensifies
Hurricane Francine has intensified to a Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 160 km/h, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the United States in an update at 5 PM on September 11.
As reported by the NHC, the storm is approximately 65 km from Morgan City, Louisiana and about 160 km from New Orleans, moving northeast at a speed of 27 km/h. The storm is expected to make landfall within the next few hours.
Forecasts indicate that after making landfall, the hurricane is expected to move through Southeast Louisiana on the night of September 11 (local time), and then continue northward through Mississippi on the day and night of September 12.
Currently, Hurricane Francine is rapidly intensifying; with this increase in strength, Francine has officially undergone “rapid intensification,” meaning its maximum winds have increased by at least 56 km/h in 24 hours.
This is the third rapidly intensifying Atlantic hurricane this year.
Notably, rapid intensification is one of the characteristics reflecting the warmer climate that is affecting storms.
Satellite image showing Hurricane Francine and other weather systems across the Atlantic on September 11. (Photo: RAMMB/CIRA).
In addition to rapidly intensifying in the final hours before landfall, Hurricane Francine is also moving further east than previous forecasts indicated.
These two factors will combine to create stronger winds and have a more significant impact on the Greater New Orleans area on the night of September 11.
Forecasts suggest that the center of Hurricane Francine will pass about 80 km west of New Orleans in the coming hours, placing the city on the storm’s right side, where the strongest winds are typically found and where the worst weather conditions often occur.
The forecasted wind field extends 56 km from the storm’s center, so New Orleans is likely to experience some sustained hurricane-force winds and possibly strong gusts.
Eugene Island, located off the Louisiana coast, about 32 km south of Morgan City and 128 km southwest of New Orleans, recorded a powerful gust of 170 km/h earlier in the day.
To ensure safety, airlines have canceled all flights departing from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on September 11, and several other flights were canceled on the morning of September 12, according to Znews.
Hurricane Francine’s Rapid Intensification Evokes Memories of the Strongest Super Typhoon of 2024
With its current strength, Hurricane Francine is being compared by many to Super Typhoon Beryl, the strongest storm in the world in 2024 that made landfall in Southeast Texas (USA) on July 8.
Notably, both Tropical Storm Francine and Hurricane Beryl began as depressions in the Atlantic hurricane basin, but Beryl formed in late June and became the earliest Category 5 super typhoon in history.
This is the sixth storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, forming in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico late on September 8. Francine’s initiation was much closer to Texas compared to Beryl, which intensified in the Atlantic before making its first landfall on the eastern Caribbean coast.
It is noteworthy that both Beryl and Francine regained strength in the Gulf of Mexico after crossing the Yucatan Peninsula from the Caribbean. While Beryl moved northwest before making landfall in Southeast Texas, Francine’s projected path is more northeastward, spending more time over open waters.
The additional thermal energy absorbed from the water could make Francine even stronger than Beryl upon landfall.
In its strength forecast, the NHC warns that Francine is likely to generate life-threatening waves and strong winds that could cause damage to certain coastal areas of Louisiana and upstream Texas.
Super Typhoon Beryl traveled nearly 10,000 km over more than two weeks, passing through the Atlantic, Caribbean, Bay of Campeche, and Gulf of Mexico, resulting in three landfalls with devastating impacts.
The storm caused significant damage in Grenada, where Beryl reached Category 4 intensity on July 1. Shortly thereafter, it became a Category 5 storm – the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale of 5 categories.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that at 11 PM on September 11 (local time), Bebinca maintained maximum winds of 95 km/h, up from 85 km/h previously recorded, according to Rappler. The storm’s gusts have reached 115 km/h. PAGASA predicts that Bebinca may intensify further and become a typhoon by the evening of September 12 (local time). As of the evening of September 11, Bebinca was located 1,755 km east-southeast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Currently, it is moving northwest while maintaining a speed of 25 km/h. According to the weather agency, Bebinca still has the potential to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by the afternoon or evening of September 13. If it makes landfall, the storm will be locally named Ferdie. Bebinca is expected to remain in the PAR for less than a day and traverse the waters near the northeastern boundary of the PAR. It is believed that Bebinca will stay far from the Philippine mainland. However, the storm may still bring heavy rain to many areas. |
