Francine’s track has moved eastward on Tuesday, approaching the New Orleans area, putting it on the strongest side of the storm.

But there are likely to be more changes in the forecast for the landing, which is expected Wednesday night. Tuesday afternoon, the location was expected to be near Morgan City, about 85 miles southwest of New Orleans, where The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore is headed.

Severe weather warnings also shifted eastward. The entire area is now under a tropical storm warning and a flood warning. Areas near the water are also under a storm surge warning, with the exception of Jefferson and Orleans parishes along Lake Pontchartrain.

“Remember that small changes in track and intensity can affect what you experience,” the National Weather Service office in New Orleans tweeted.

Authorities warned New Orleans residents that now is the time to make final preparations.

“Conditions are expected to deteriorate starting tonight, so we encourage people to make all their preparations tonight,” said meteorologist Megan Williams of the National Weather Service’s Slidell office.

A tropical storm warning means that winds between 39-73 mph are possible over the next 36 hours. Williams said tropical storm force winds are expected to begin tonight and into the morning between 2 and 8 a.m.

New Orleans is expected to receive 6 to 8 inches of rain Tuesday through Thursday, with a flood warning in effect through Thursday morning.

“Rainfall is a particular concern because of the high rainfall and the fact that New Orleans is an urban area,” Williams said.

The weather service also warned that rainfall east of the storm’s center could cause flooding in areas that normally don’t flood, which could be made worse by soil already saturated from earlier rainfall.

Williams said there is also a threat of storm surge of 3 to 6 feet (90 to 150 centimeters) for Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas as the storm moves east.

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