Hurricane Francine will have a long reach even after it collides with the Louisiana coastline Wednesday.
The center of the Category 2 storm is expected to come ashore in central Louisiana near Morgan City with winds of about 100 mph.
The storm will bring “peripheral impacts” to North Florida and the Big Bend , according to the National Weather Service – Tallahassee, including periods of heavy rain and isolated tornadoes.
“The outer bands of Francine could train over the same areas, leading to localized flooding,” forecasters wrote in an afternoon update on X.
A Flood Watch is in effect for a long stretch of the Florida Panhandle tonight through Thursday. About 3 to 5 inches of rain is likely with up to 8 inches of rain possible in the watch area. About 1 to 3 inches of rain is likely elsewhere, including Tallahassee.
The National Weather Service is also advising residents to have ways to get weather warnings at night in the event of a tornado threat.
“The threat will start along the Panhandle coast this evening as outer rain bands spread onshore,” forecasters wrote. “The tornado threat will expand inland and east overnight into Thursday, before diminishing late Thursday.”