Coastal Flood — West Cameron, Louisiana

2024-09-11 · West Cameron, Louisiana

Event narrative

Hurricane Francine passed well south of Cameron, however minor flooding occurred at the coast. The water level at Cameron reached 2.16 feet above MHHW which caused waves to splash over Highway 82 near Holly Beach at high tide.

Wider weather episode

Francine originated from a tropical wave that emerged off the West coast of Africa on August 28th. The wave traversed the tropical Atlantic Ocean with minimal organization, reaching the Leeward Islands by September 1st. The tropical wave reached the Yucatn Peninsula by September 6th, emerged into the Bay of Campeche by September 7th, with a broad surface low pressure noted by September 8th. By daybreak on September 9th, an Air-Force reconnaissance aircraft found a closed surface circulation, with the system notably better organized on satellite imagery. At 10 AM CDT, the system was upgraded to Tropical Storm Francine by 10 AM CDT about 250 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas.

By daybreak on September 10th, an approaching mid to upper-level trough over Texas and Mexico began to cause Tropical Storm Francine to move northeast at 5 to 10 mph. By the early evening hours, both NOAA and Air-Force reconnaissance aircraft found sustained hurricane force winds at the surface, with Francine being upgraded to a hurricane by 7 PM CDT with sustained winds of 75 mph. Hurricane Francine made landfall near the mouth of the Atchafalaya River near the St. Mary & Terrebonne Parish line about 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana at 5 PM CDT September 11th with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1218068. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.