A man looks out at the floodwaters left by Hurricane Francine as he sits near the entrance to the Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner, Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish on Thursday morning.

Matthew Hinton/AP

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Matthew Hinton/AP

Francine is no longer a hurricane after being downgraded to a tropical depression Wednesday night. The storm is rapidly weakening after making landfall in Louisiana earlier Wednesday.

Communities are dealing with cleanup efforts and power outages, but meteorologists say the storm still poses a serious risk of flooding further inland.

“It’s weakening from a traditional wind perspective, but it’s not weakening from a rainfall perspective,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, as he discussed Francine’s path through the Mississippi River Valley.

Even as the hurricane made landfall, Rhome said, flood warnings were issued far from the coast. In Mississippi, warnings extended close to the Tennessee border.

Where is Francine now?

A map shows Francine’s expected path through Mississippi and into Arkansas. The storm continues to weaken — but will also bring heavy rains far inland.

NOAA/ National Weather Service

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NOAA/ National Weather Service

In its 10 a.m. CT update, the National Hurricane Center said Francine was about 15 miles north-northeast of Jackson, Miss., and moving north at 14 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 35 mph. The weakening storm was expected to weaken as it moved north, increasing the potential threat of flash flooding and urban flooding from the rainfall.

How much more rain will it bring?

Areas with the highest risk of flash flooding from Francine are far east of downtown, such as Birmingham, Alabama. This map shows where the greatest risk is likely through the weekend.
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“Francine is expected to bring 4 to 8 inches of rainfall to parts of Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle,” according to the National Hurricane Center. And some areas of Alabama, Georgia and Florida could get up to 12 inches of rain.

“Falled trees and power outages have already been reported, as well as flash flooding and minor river flooding, and these are expected to continue,” the National Weather Service office in Jackson said. said on thursdayas flood warnings had been issued due to heavy rainfall.

How many people don’t have electricity?

An emergency worker drives through Houma, Louisiana, after power went out when Hurricane Francine made landfall on the Louisiana coast.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

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Brandon Bell/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

People living along the coasts of southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are now assessing the damage from the storm. As of 10 a.m. CT, some 420,000 utility accounts were without power.

A breakdown of that total, from the monitoring site Poweroutage.us: 364,000 customers in Louisiana; 35,000 in Mississippi; and 21,300 in Alabama.

How bad are the floods?

“Highest rainfall in the region was 8 to 10 inches,” member station WWNO in New Orleans reported. “Most of that fell in Lafourche, St. John, St. Charles and Jefferson parishes.”

Local governments and emergency services are still assessing the situation, but just west of New Orleans, St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell said Wednesday night that people were reporting high water, street flooding and “water in homes throughout the parish.”

“Most of the parish has over seven inches of rain,” Jewell said, with most of that rainfall falling in just an hour and a half. His livestream video briefly went black as the building lost power.

Emergency services urged people not to drive through flooded streets as it was dangerous and said it also caused more water to enter homes.

National Guard members use a chainsaw to clear fallen trees in Morgan City, Louisiana, on Thursday as they assist in the cleanup efforts following Hurricane Francine.

Jack Brook/AP/AP

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Jack Brook/AP/AP

Where did the hurricane land?

Francine made landfall about 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, La., around 5 p.m. local time Wednesday, according to the NHC. The storm escalated to a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds near 100 mph, just before hitting the city in Terrebonne Parish.

For anyone in the path of the storm, WWNO has a guide with information on how to prepare for a hurricane.

NPR’s Kevin Drew contributed reporting to this story.