Hurricane Francine slammed into Louisiana Wednesday evening as a Category 2 storm but weakened rapidly as it moved inland, sparing Mississippi from the worst of its fury.
By Thursday morning, officials at the National Hurricane Center had downgraded the storm to a tropical depression—the earliest and least hazardous stage of a tropical cyclone.
Still, strong winds and heavy rainfall buffeted Mississippi overnight and continued into Thursday, causing street closures and power outages and creating an ongoing risk of flash flooding.
“Heavy rain is expected to continue through at least this afternoon, so please continue to stay weather aware,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves wrote on social media on Thursday morning. He added that no injuries had been reported.
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In southern and central Mississippi, state agencies have been working to clear fallen branches and other debris from roads and identify flooded areas that pose a danger to commuters. Several of the streets and highways that experienced flooding along the Gulf coast are now traversable, a Mississippi Department of Transportation spokesperson told the Mississippi Free Press.
“The impacts as far as infrastructure is concerned on the Mississippi Gulf Coast were not nearly as bad as expected,” Anna Ehrgott, a public information officer at MDOT, said on Wednesday.
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Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill into law banning machine gun converters on April 30, 2024. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?fit=780%2C519&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button” src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?resize=780%2C519&ssl=1″ alt=”Mississippi governor state reeves speaking at a podium in front of a state seal” class=”wp-image-42518″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?resize=24%2C16&ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?resize=36%2C24&ssl=1 36w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?resize=48%2C32&ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis-1024×682.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tate-Reeves_AP20037833251120_AP-Photo-Rogelio-V.-Solis-1024×682.jpg?w=400&ssl=1 400w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px”>Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said that no injuries had been reported as of Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, after Hurricane Francine swept into Mississippi and officials downgraded it to a tropical depression. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File
Ehrgott urged Mississippi drivers to continue practicing caution, reminding them to refrain from using cruise controls
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