Francine knocks out power to hundreds of thousands
The storm came ashore in a sparsely populated area and is expected to weaken to a post-tropical cyclone.
(Bloomberg) — Francine knocked out power to nearly half a million homes and businesses and canceled hundreds of flights across the US South after coming ashore as a hurricane.
The storm has weakened to a tropical depression with winds of 35 miles (55 kilometers) per hour as it approached Jackson, Miss., the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory Thursday. Francine, which had winds of 100 mph when it made landfall Wednesday, is forecast lose strength throughout the day.
“Continued weakening is forecast,” the hurricane center said. “Francine is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone later today.”
More than 470,000 homes and businesses were without power in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as of 7 a.m. local time, according to PowerOutage.us. About 80 flights have been canceled at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, adding to the 240 that were grounded in the region Wednesday, FlightAware.com said.
Francine came ashore in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, a sparsely populated area southwest of New Orleans.
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