After more than a month of record high temperatures and drought conditions that lead county officials to order a Burn Ban, Hurricane Francine brewed up in the Gulf of Mexico and brought much needed rain to the area.
Francine made landfall in Burns, Louisiana, on September 11, with winds topping out at 100 mph, a Category 2 hurricane. The storm never rapidly intensified, although weather officials couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t strengthen in warm Gulf waters. All of Mississippi prepared; even local officials took extra precaution as briefings told them to expect the possibility of power being out for at least two days.
All schools in the county closed for the day under an abundance of caution. By the time Francine moved across Central Mississippi, she had weakened to a tropical depression.
While Louisiana reported up to ten inches of rainfall in some areas, most of Winston County received three inches or less. Tommie Gardner of Noxapater reported one and nine-tenths of an inch in his home rain gauge as of nightfall on Friday evening. Faith Estes of Louisville reported 3.5 inches at her home in Louisville.
More rainfall actually came to Winston County in a front that moved in late Friday and into Saturday. This front lasted through Monday midday. Estes reported that she had captured 11 inches of rainwater since Saturday evening.
Trees were reported down in various locations across the county, and some communities did experience power outages. In Southeast Noxapater, some citizens on Highway 15 experienced power loss as did those in the Hight Community. Issues with downed trees and electricity were resolved within hours.
Three businesses in Louisville, all located on Main Street, closed for the day. One business reported issues with power as the reason behind the close, while other businesses simply reported their business would be closed for the day. One building on S Church St. was torn down Friday morning, though it was reported that plans were being discussed to handle the demolition prior to last week’s weather system.
Very little rain hung around by Friday morning, and while it was a dreary day with little sunshine, most of Winston County returned to normal. Another front brought more rain to Winston County, but, at press time, once the front moves out on Monday afternoon, no rain is forecasted for at least eight days (per The Weather Channel).
