According to weather.com, Francine is forecast to gain some strength before it makes landfall as a hurricane somewhere along the Louisiana coast later Wednesday, with impacts arriving well in advance. As of Tuesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center forecasts Francine to be at Category 1 wind intensity at landfall.

Dry air has been a limiting factor for strengthening since Monday night, but Francine is forecast to make renewed run of intensification into Wednesday. Once Francine reaches the Gulf Coast, it will also face increasing wind shear that may cap off its intensity near landfall.

After landfall, the system will spread rainfall through parts of the South to as far north as the mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys late this week.

Bands of heavy rain will lash parts of the coast from Louisiana and Mississippi to southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Friday morning.

Rainfall totals from Francine could reach 4 to 8 inches, with local amounts to 12 inches. New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Biloxi, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama, are among the cities where flood watches have been issued for this heavy rain threat.