Numerous watches are now up in Louisiana after Tropical Storm Francine formed in the Gulf of Mexico Monday.
Maximum winds have increased to 60 miles per hour as the system continued to move north-northwest at 5 miles per hour.
A turn to the northeast is expected over the coming days as the system strengthens into a hurricane before approaching landfall Wednesday along the Louisiana coast.
The National Hurricane Center has issued the following watches:
- A Storm Surge Watch has been issued from east of High Island, Texas, eastward to the Mississippi/Alabama Border, including Vermilion Bay, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Pontchartrain.
- A Hurricane Watch has been issued from Cameron eastward to Grand Isle in Louisiana.
- A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued east of High Island, Texas, to Cameron, Louisiana, and from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to the Mouth of the Pearl River including Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas.