Cars drive through rain areas along Peter Rd., just outside New Orleans, ahead of Tropical Storm Francine, in Harvey, Louisiana, on Tuesday.

Gerald Herbert/AP

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Gerald Herbert/AP

A hurricane warning is in effect for much of southern Louisiana as Tropical Storm Francine is expected to make landfall from the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday.

It is expected to bring storm surges, strong winds, heavy rainfall and flooding to Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and Texas.

“We’ve got to keep our eyes on this one. It’s not going to be Laura, it’s not going to be Ida, but it’s still going to have a broad impact in terms of the role of that storm as it rolls into south-central and southeastern Louisiana,” state climatologist Jay Grymes told reporters.

The storm is currently in the Gulf, about 130 miles east of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas as of 2 p.m. ET. Forecasters said the storm is moving northeast and away from the coasts of northeastern Mexico and southern Texas Tuesday afternoon.

Maximum sustained winds were 65 mph (105 km/h) on Tuesday, but the hurricane is expected to strengthen and make landfall on the central coast of Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane, according to the National Weather Service.

Grymes said Louisiana will experience tropical storm force winds moving inland Wednesday afternoon, with Francine expected to make landfall by mid-afternoon. Residents must have completed all preparations by then.

Rainfall in southern Louisiana could total 4 to 8 inches through Friday morning, meteorologists said, with much of Louisiana and Mississippi collecting 12 inches. The heavy rains will push some rivers over flood stage. “All of south-central and southeastern Louisiana is under pressure from this storm,” Grymes said.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for coastal areas not under hurricane warning, including extreme southeastern Louisiana, the Mississippi coast and the upper Texas coast.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency on Monday.

Cameron Parish, in the southwest of the state, and much of Terrebonne Parish, in the southeast, are under mandatory evacuation orders. The state Department of Transportation offered a map of evacuation routes.

Both New Orleans and Baton Rouge are located in a large swath of southeastern Louisiana that could experience major flooding and multiple tornadoes. The mayor of Baton Rouge has declared a state of emergency and schools are closed Wednesday and Thursday. School systems across the state are closed Wednesday. NPR member station WWNO has a list of which school systems are closing.

The unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico are fueling the development and intensity of the storm. The warmer waters are a hallmark of climate change.