VIDEO: Hurricane Francine’s fury hits Louisiana with destructive winds and heavy rains

The force of Hurricane Francine was felt throughout southern Louisiana on Wednesday, even before the Category 2 hurricane made landfall more than an hour southwest of New Orleans.

Francine made landfall in Terrebonne Parish at 5 p.m., bringing winds of 100 mph to Louisiana’s swamps. Nearly all of Assumption and Terrebonne parishes were without power, and the number of outages across the Bayou State rose to over 200,000 about three hours after landfall, eventually reaching 400,000 by Thursday morning.

Communities in Terrebonne Parish, including Dulac, Houma, Theriot and Chauvin, were hit by devastating storm surge and wind damage.

A wind gust of 90 miles per hour was recorded in Dulac after landfall. The video recorded below shows the dangerous storm surge that Francine caused.

The owners of CoCo Marina in Chauvin asked for prayers as Francine brought a devastating storm surge that flooded the docks.

Storm surge from Hurricane Francine seen on surveillance video at the CoCo Marina in Chauvin, Louisiana, on September 11, 2024.

(CoCo Marina)

Code of Conduct for Storm Chasers: Always carry a chainsaw

Brandon Copic, a storm chaser for FOX Weather, says he never covers a storm without the right equipment, including a chainsaw. That came in handy after Francine’s high winds knocked down a large tree in Houma and blocked a road. He and the other storm chasers quickly felled the tree to clear the road.

“Most of the time it’s just a matter of clearing a lane so emergency crews can get in and out,” Copic said.

As the eyewall approached the coast, Copic’s truck was damaged by a sudden shift in wind, causing it to spin out.

“There was a tree behind me. It was literally ripped apart and thrown into my Tahoe, my tail light went out and my rear window was shattered,” Copic said.

The experienced storm chaser captured the following video, which shows Francine’s powerful winds tearing a building apart in minutes.

FOX weather correspondent Robert Ray also reported from the landfall in Houma, where winds continued to blow around trees, street signs and roof debris. In the video below, Ray dodged a direct hit from a street sign during a live broadcast of the storm.

FOX Weather storm specialist Mike Seidel was in Theriot, where Francine’s strong wind gusts can be seen in the video below.

As Seidel and his crew made their way back through Francine’s eyewall Wednesday evening, large branches and debris lay scattered on U.S. Highway 90 east of Morgan City.

Fallen trees and branches on US Highway 90 near Morgan City, Louisiana, on September 11, 2024.

(Mike Seidel/FOX Weather)

Francine’s impacts in New Orleans included heavy rainfall. As the storm moved further inland, tropical downpours moved in, triggering a flash flood disaster.

FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillien was on Bourbon Street and said hurricane events continued even as winds increased. Conditions deteriorated rapidly through Wednesday night, when rainfall reached more than 6 inches per hour, with half an inch falling in just 9 minutes.

At New Orleans International Airport, Wednesday was officially the second wettest September day on record, with 185 millimeters of rainfall. Overall, it was also the ninth wettest day for the city since 1946.