Tropical Storm Francine forms in Gulf of Mexico, US Coast Guard issues warning

Francine is expected to lash parts of the Gulf Coast with powerful winds and heavy rain as it heads for a Wednesday landfall as a full-blown hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said in an 10 a.m. Houston-time advisory. The system, currently located 480 miles (770 kilometers) south-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana, grew out of a patch of thunderstorms packing 50 mile-an-hour winds.

Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Shell Plc are among the companies taking measures such as evacuating workers from vulnerable installations, suspending drilling activities, and shutting in some wells.

Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard declared Port Condition Whiskey at Houston, Galveston and other key Texas harbors, a warning that rough weather is expected within 72 hours. Under such a declaration, oceangoing vessels are required to depart within 12 hours of gale-force winds.

“Francine is forecast to be a hurricane when it reaches the northwestern Gulf coast on Wednesday or Wednesday night and there is an increasing likelihood of life-threatening storm surge inundation for portions of the Upper Texas and Louisiana coastlines,” Philippe Papin, a senior hurricane specialist at the center, said in a forecast.

This will be the third storm to hit the US mainland this year. It’s forecast to peak as Category 1 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale with 85 mph winds.

There is a chance it will grows stronger as it swirls over the Gulf’s unusually warm waters, which provides fuel to storms, said Adam Douty, a meteorologist at commercial-forecaster AccuWeather Inc.

If the storm does significantly strengthen, it’s likely to happen mid-day Tuesday or Wednesday, said Ryan Truchelut, president of WeatherTiger LLC. As it nears the coastline, however, it could encounter cross winds, or wind shear, that would threaten to weaken it.