Weather

National Weather Service experimenting flood hazard outlook ahead of Francine

Storm Center | By Leslie Hudson

Published September 10, 2024 at 8:22 AM EDT

The experimental Flood Hazard Outlook (FHO) is a relatively new tool from the National Weather Service.

It highlights the flash and urban flooding risks from current conditions to the next seven days and will work in conjunction with current products, like the Excessive Rainfall Outlook.

It was designed to portray the potential inland flash flood and river impacts that range from catastrophic, considerable, to limited impacts over a seven-day period. The tool allows users to look at a specific region and to toggle on the area of interest to read the discussion from the National Weather Service.

This week, there is obvious a high interest in the Gulf coast region as #Francine approaches the United States. Flooding will be a concern (among others) as #Francine gets closer to a landfall.

Storm surge is a life-threatening hazard with #Francine, especially east of the eye, where winds may be funneled into Vermillion Bay and up to HWY 90 near Baldwin. This is the deterministic Q-risq forecast model that highlights the risk. #LAwx pic.twitter.com/NcBQm8r0DE
— Baron Weather (@BaronWeather) September 10, 2024

Francine is expected to pull significant tropical moisture over the Gulf coast. So local flash and urban flooding is possible, especially from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Periods of heavy rainfall return this week along the Texas and Louisiana coasts and further inland into Louisiana and southern Mississippi, which may result in new flooding.
Elsewhere along the Central Gulf Coast and adjacent inland areas, flash and urban flooding remain possible through today.
Rainfall will also return to the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and the Florida Panhandle during the middle of next week, potentially generating isolated flooding.

The experimental Flood Hazard Outlook (FHO) was designed to provide an inland hydrologic flood graphic to help emergency management officials, regional and National planners spread a consistent message on flood threats outlined by the National Weather Service. The experimental product combines a reflection of current flood conditions based on the latest river level observations with an assessment of flood risk.