Tropical Storm Francine moving inland, bringing heavy rain to Alabama

HERE AT THE BREAKING NEWS DESK RIGHT NOW. BIRMINGHAM FIREFIGHTERS BATTLING AN APARTMENT FIRE. WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE YOU LIVE TO THE SCENE. THIS IS OVER ON COTTON AVENUE SOUTHWEST. THAT'S NEAR ELMWOOD CEMETERY. NOT A LOT OF INFORMATION AT THIS TIME, BUT WE DO HAVE A CREW THAT'S ON THE SCENE. YOU CAN SEE FIRE CREWS THERE SPRAYING SOME WATER THERE AT THE BUILDING. WE ARE WORKING TO GATHER SOME MORE INFORMATION, AND WE WILL MAKE SURE TO BRING YOU THE VERY LATEST AS SOON AS WE HAVE IT. STEPH. ALL RIGHT. TODAY Y IS AN ALERT DAY AS WE AE GOING TO BE DEALING WITH SOME OF THE IMPACTS FROM FRANCINE, WHICH IS NOW A TROPICAL STORM. SO WINDS TODAY WILL BE GUSTY SO FAR THIS MORNING THEY'VE BEEN ON AVERAGE 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. BUT AS THE CENTER OF THE STORM CONTINUES TO MOVE JUST TO OUR WEST UP INTO CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI, WE EXPECT THAT WE'LL START TO SEE WINDS PICK UP A BIT, ESPECIALLY IN SOME OF THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS, MAYBE GUSTING TO 40, PERHAPS UP TO 50, MAYBE IN SOME OF THOSE MOUNTAIN TOPS. OTHERWISE, TORNADOES, ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE, MAINLY AS WE GET INTO THIS AFTERNOON. ANAND THEN THE THREAT FOR SOME FLASH FLOODING TOO, DEPENDING ON JUST HOW MUCH RAIN WE GET THERE COULD BE A FEW ISSUES WITH SOME STREAMS AND CREEKS. SO WHAT IS ALERT TODAY? WEATHER MEAN? JUST AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE HAZARDS THAT WE'RE EXPECTING. AND SO ANYTIME THAT WE THINK THAT THE WEATHER COULD APPEAR TO BE LIFE THREATENING, WE PUT THAT ALERT SYMBOL ON THE THE MAP. AND A LOT OF THE GRAPHICS. SO WE NEED YOU TO HAVE MULTIPLE WAYS TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS WEATHER INFORMATION AND TO GET ALERTS SHOULD THEY BE ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA. AND TODAY IS A LITTLE BIT SPECIAL IN THAT TROPICAL TORNADADOES, WHEN THEY DEVELOP, SOMETIMES THEY ONLY OCCUR FOR A COUPLE OF SCANS OF THE RADAR. SO THEY HAPPEN VERY QUICK AND THEY TYPICALLY DISSIPATE VERY QUICKLY TOO. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE NEED YOU TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE WEATHER. WE THINK THE HIGHER TORNADO THREAT WILL COME THOUGH AFTER ABOUT LUNCHTIME THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. THERE'S A LOOK AT WVTM 13 LIVE DOPPLER AT THE MOMENT. AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE HEAVIER RAIN RIGHT NOW WEST OF I 65. IT'S BEEN PRETTY LIGHT BIRMINGHAM OFF TO THE EAST. SOME OF THIS HEAVIER BAND HERE LIFTING UP TOWARD MOUNDVILLE AND EVENTUALLY GETTING INTO TUSCALOOSA, NORTHPORT AND BROOKWOOD. THIS IS A LOOK AT OUR SEVERE WEATHER RISK MAP FOR TODAY, SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A GOOD PORTION OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THAT IS UNDER A SLIGHT RISK FOR, AGAIN, SOME ISOLATED TORNADOES. WE THINK IT WOULDN'T START ANY EARLIER THAN NOON AND PROBABLY EVEN A COUPLE OF HOURS AFTER THAT. AFTER THAT, RATHER THROUGH ABOUT 9:00 LATER TONIGHT. AND THEN CHECK OUT FRIDAY FRIDAY BECAUSE FRANCINE'S GOING TO STALL JUST TO OUR NORTH AND WEST. THAT'S GOING TO KEEP THE THREAT FOR A COUPLE OF ISOLATED TORNADOES IN THE FORECAST FOR TOMORROW AS WELL. BRYLEE THAT'S JUST ONE THING. WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF OTHER HAZARDS THAT WE'VE WE'VE GOT TO TALK ABOUT MULTIPLE HAZARDS TODAY. WE'VE GOT A FLOOD WATCH UP. WE ALSO HAVE A WIND ADVISORY. THE FLOOD WATCH INCLUDES ALL OF US IN CENTRAL AND NORTH ALABAMA. SO THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME HEAVIER BANDS OF RAIN THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. AND EVENING. WE THINK SOME OF THOSE WILL SET UP TO THE NORTH AND WEST, BUT JUST BE IN THE KNOW THAT THERE COULD BE SOME FLOODING. WE THINK THAT THE DROUGHT IS GOING TO HELP MITIGATE A LOT OF THAT, BUT STILL NEED TO BE AWARE THAT THERE COULD BE SOME PONDING ON THE ROADS, ESPECIALLY IN THE LOW LYING AREAS. THERE'S ALSO A WIND ADVISORY TODAY SUSTAINED WINDS 15 TO 25. AND LIKE STEPH MENTIONED, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN GUSTING THIS MORNING. BUT THE GUSTS LATER TODAY WILL BE CLOSER TO 40 TO 50 RANGE. AND SO LET THIS BE A REMINDER BEFORE YOU GET OUT, HEAD TO WORK. IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU NEED TO SECURE OUTSIDE, DO THAT BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE WIND GUSTS ARE HEIGHTENED DOWN TO THE SOUTH AND WEST THIS MORNING AS FRANCINE IS WORKING UP INTO MISSISSIPPI AND SO PLACES LIKE CARROLLTON AND TUSCALOOSA AND GREENE COUNTY AND DEMOPOLIS, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THOSE HIGHER GUSTS FIRST THROUGH 9:00 10:00. THIS MORNING, AND THEN IT SHIFTS TO INCLUDE MORE OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. SO PLACES LIKE BIRMINGHAM DOUBLE SPRINGS AND CULLMAN AND CALERA AND CLANTON THROUGH THIS THROUGH MID-MORNING THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON AND THEN LATER TODAY, MORE OF NORTHEAST ALABAMA AND NORTHERN ALABAMA. SO THROUGH 6:00 PM THIS EVENING, REALLY THROUGH 10:00 TONIGHT, YOU'RE THE ONES GUSTING CLOSER TO 45 AND 50 AS THIS SYSTEM WORKS NORTHWARD. AND IT'S THE SAME STORY WITH THE RAIN. SO WE'VE GOT SOME HEAVIER BANDS OF RAIN EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THIS AFTERNOON. THIS IS THE SHORT TERM GUIDANCE FOR THIS MORNING. AND SO YOU'LL SEE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. IT DOES LOOK LIKE WE'RE A LITTLE BIT DRIER IN SOME SPOTS, BUT THAT'S THESE OUTER BANDS OF FRANCINE WORKING ACROSS THE STATE. AND THIS IS WHEN WE THINK THERE IS A POSSIBILITY FOR A COUPLE SPIN UP, LOW TOP TORNADOES, BECAUSE THE INSTABILITY WILL BE HEIGHTENED, ESPECIALLY IF WE GET SOME DRY AIR TO WRAP AROUND THE STORM. AND SO YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THESE MAY BE PRETTY INTENSE. THIS EVENING WE'RE GOING TO BE WATCHING THE RISK FOR A FEW TORNADOES, A WEAK TORNADOES, BUT STILL WANT YOU TO BE AWARE OF THAT THROUGH THIS EVENING. I KNOW MANY OF YOU ARE HOPING FOR SOME GOOD RAIN FROM THIS, AND HOPEFULLY WE SEE A COUPLE INCHES. THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME HEAVIER BANDS OF RAIN. WHERE THEY SET UP IS TO BE DETERMINED, BUT LIKELY OVER THE NORTH AND WEST. WE'LL DEAL WITH MORE STORMS TOMORROW. TOMORROW IS AN IMPACT DAY LIKE STEPH SAID, FRANCINE IS GOING TO STALL TO OUR NORTH AND SO THAT'S GOING TO PROMOTE SOME DISTURBED WEATHER FOR A LITTLE WHILE. BACK TO YOU. THIS IS IN NEW ORLEANS. WE GOT SOME HEAVY RAIN THAT IS CAUSING SOME SERIOUS FLOODING THERE, AND YOU CAN SEE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR DRIVERS. WHAT YOU ARE SEEING IS A GOOD SAMARITAN TRADING INTO WAIST DEEP WATERS TO GET THE DRIVER OF THAT PICKUP TRUCK TO SAFETY. BEFORE YOU SEE THE FIRST RESPONDERS THERE ARRIVING JUST AFTERWARD, THE WATER THERE RUSHING SO FAST. HE WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY SUBMERGED IN JUST MINUTES. OF COURSE, LOUISIANA STILL DEALING WITH THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE FRANCINE AND EMILY MAHER FROM OUR SISTER STATION IN LOUISIANA IS LIVE FOR US IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA AREA. SO, EMILY, WHAT IS IT LIKE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW? THIS MORNING? WELL, CARLA SCOTT, VERY DIFFERENT SCENE OUT HERE THIS MORNING COMPARED TO WHAT WE WERE SEEING ALL DAY YESTERDAY. AND THROUGH THE NIGHT. THOSE STRONG, STRONG WINDS, THAT HEAVY, HEAVY RAIN HAS ALL SUBSIDED THIS MORNING. THE NEW ISSUES THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH NOW, POWER OUTAGES AND FLOODING. I WANT TO GIVE YOU A LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE SEEING OUT HERE. THIS ROAD MAY LOOK PERFECTLY CLEAR RIGHT NOW, BUT JUST A LITTLE WHILE AGO ABOUT 30 MINUTES AGO, IT WAS COVERED IN WATER. THE GREAT NEWS THAT WATER IS RECEDING QUICKLY IN SOME PARTS OF THIS COMMUNITY. THE POWER OUT HERE FOR US IS ON. BUT THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS A ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA ARE WITHOUT POWER. AND HERE IS THE REASON WHY. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO. THIS. THESE ARE THE MOMENTS HURRICANE FRANCINE MADE LANDFALL IN LOUISIANA. YOU CAN SEE THAT RAIN JUST COMING DOWN SIDEWAYS, PUMMELING THE AREA. THOSE STRONG, STRONG WINDS KNOCKING OUT POWER. WE KNOW CREWS ARE GETTING READY RIGHT NOW. THEY ARE HITTING THE ROADS TRYING TO GET EVERYONE BACK OUT ON THE GRID. I WANT TO TAKE YOU BACK OUT HERE LIVE AGAIN. POWER UP IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW. THE FLOODING RECEDING IN SOME POINTS, BUT THOSE ARE GOING TO BE THE TWO MAJOR CONCERNS THAT PEOPLE WILL BE DEALING WITH TODAY AS THE SUN STARTS TO COME UP AND THEY START TO WAKE UP OUT OF THIS HURRICANE, IT'S GOING TO BE THOSE POWER OUTAGES GETTING THE LIGHTS BACK ON AND DEALING WITH THE FLOODING, NOT TO MENTION THE DAMAGE LEFT BEHIND FROM HURRICANE FRANCINE WHEN IT HIT THIS AREA. AS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE YESTERDAY.