Life-threatening conditions on the Gulf Coast

Satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show Tropical Storm Francine building in the Gulf of Mexico early this morning.

Shoppers in a New Orleans suburb shopped at a grocery store yesterday as Tropical Storm Francine is expected to make landfall in Louisiana.

Before Francine arrives in the U.S., dangerous storm surges of up to 10 feet are a major concern. The Louisiana coast from Cameron to Port Fourchon and Vermilion Bay could experience storm surges of 5 to 10 feet.

“The deepest waters will be along the immediate coast, near and to the east of landfall, where impact will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” the National Hurricane Center said.

Additionally, 4 to 8 inches of rain are expected from northeastern Mexico to Mississippi, with some areas receiving as much as 12 inches. There will also be “life-threatening high and low tide conditions,” the NHC said.

Residents of low-lying, coastal areas of Louisiana were strongly advised or ordered to move inland ahead of Francine’s arrival on Wednesday.

Cameron Parish, a coastal community between Lafayette and Houston where the storm is expected to make landfall, is under a mandatory evacuation order starting at 6 a.m. today.

Grand Isle, a Louisiana city located on a narrow strip of land in the Gulf of Mexico, ordered a voluntary evacuation of residents and a mandatory evacuation of camper and motorhome owners.

Meanwhile, authorities in Pass Christian, Mississippi, have strongly recommended the evacuation of the port of Pass Christian.