HOUSTON – Hurricane Francine moved out and the summer sizzle moves back in for the weekend!

Francine strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday afternoon ahead of making landfall in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana a few minutes after 5:00 PM CDT with 100 mile-an-hour sustained winds. The storm has been downgraded to a tropical storm and will move north into Mississippi and Tennessee raining multiple inches of rain through Friday.

Thursday’s Forecast:

Thursday we will be dry with temperatures warming to the upper-80s. We will see more sunshine as the day goes on.

Rest of the Week:

With Francine moving out, the sunshine will quickly return! Temperatures will return to the mid-90s by Friday with heat index values reaching the triple-digits Saturday.

Tracking the Tropics:

There are other tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean and newly formed Tropical Depression Seven. TD 7 is in the eastern Atlantic and not a threat to the US at this time. This is expected to become Tropical Storm Gordon Thursday. We’ll continue to monitor the other tropical waves as the Atlantic is finally waking up for the second half of the season.

10-day Forecast:

There are a few small chances of rain on the 10-day forecast with temperatures mostly in the 90s after tomorrow.

HOUSTON – Wednesday afternoon Hurricane Francine strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane ahead of making landfall in Terrebonne Parish Louisiana a few minutes after 5:00 PM CDT with 100 mile an hour sustained winds.

Thursday’s Forecast:

Thursday we will be dry with temperatures warming to the upper-80s. We will see more sunshine as the day goes on.

Rest of the Week:

As Francine moves out, the sunshine will quickly return! Temperatures will return to the mid-90s by Friday with heat index values reaching the triple-digits Saturday.

Tracking the Tropics:

There are other tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean and newly formed Tropical Depression Seven. TD 7 is in the eastern Atlantic and not a threat to the US at this time. This is expected to become Tropical Storm Gordon Thursday. We’ll continue to monitor the other tropical waves as the Atlantic is finally waking up for the second half of the season.

10-day Forecast:

There are a few small chances of rain on the 10-day forecast with temperatures mostly in the 90s after tomorrow.

HOUSTON – Hurricane Francine is expected to cause changes to portions of the coasts in Texas and Louisiana.

According to the coastal change forecast released by the U.S. Geological Survey on Tuesday, Francine is expected to cause an over-wash of sand dunes, erosion, and possible inundation. Francine is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday.

According to the National Hurricane Center, there is also the possibility of a life-threatening storm surge in portions of coastlines in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Francine’s waves have the potential to cause erosion on 75% of the dunes from High Island, Texas, all the way to the Louisiana-Mississippi border, according to estimates by USGS experts. Roughly 61% of the dunes along the coasts could be over-washed, and 34% could become inundated—or covered by floodwater—from the storm.

When a beach experiences over-washing, sand is pushed forward and deposited inland, which can cause significant changes to coastal landscapes. This can damage sand dunes and leave them more susceptible to future storm damage.

The USGS will continue to update coastal change forecasts as the storm reaches land. You can keep up with those forecasts here.