On Tuesday night, Francine strengthened into a hurricane, threatening the Gulf Coast with damaging, life-threatening winds and heavy rainfall.

According to a statement from the National Hurricane Center, the Category 1 hurricane is expected to bring heavy rainfall and the risk of flash flooding across the lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valley Wednesday night into Friday morning.

Remnants of Francine will impact Middle Tennessee beginning Thursday, said the National Weather Service. The primary threats are expected to be heavy rain and flooding, however a low tornado threat remains.

Francine is expected to make landfall over Louisiana during the afternoon or evening hours Wednesday, however, will weaken as it pushes north, said the weather service. By the time Francine reaches Tennessee, it will be considered a tropical depression, or a low pressure storm with winds of 38 mph or less.

Francine to hit West TN: How will Francine impact Memphis? Here’s how much rain to expect, path of the storm

Francine’s impact on East TN: How will Francine bring rain to Knoxville? Here’s how much to expect in the storm’s path

Hurricane Francine brings flooding, tornado risk to Middle Tennessee beginning Thursday

According to the weather service, Francine will impact Middle Tennessee on Thursday and throughout the weekend. The main impact is expected to be heavy rain which may cause flooding. Areas along and west of Interstate 65 are expected to receive the highest rain totals.

The Nashville area is expected to receive between 3-4 inches of rain while areas like Waverly and Columbia are expected to receive between 4-5 inches. The heavy rain may lead to flooding, especially in low-lying and flood-prone areas said the weather service.

Additionally, winds gusts of 30-35 mph will be possible on Thursday. There is currently a marginal risk (one out of five) for tornadoes in southwest Middle Tennessee. Although the threat is low, it cannot be ruled out said the weather service.

Where is Hurricane Francine?

Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana