Francine Strengthening Ahead of Schedule

Tropical Storm Francine was named this morning and is already outdoing the strengthening forecast.

The radar loop above shows that Francine is already developing an eye wall feature and a much more organized core. This will undoubtedly set the stage for further strengthening today.

The current NHC forecast brings Francine into Louisiana around Lafayette as a strong category 1 hurricane. However, given the most recent trends, I do believe that forecast intensity will be increased with the next advisory at 4pm.