ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Cindy is expected to weaken as it moves farther inland after coming ashore in southwestern Louisiana early Thursday.
The storm's maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph and it's expected to weaken to a tropical depression later in the morning and become a remnant low Thursday night.
Wind gusts of 54 mph were reported in one Louisiana city.
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TS Cindy, latest update winds down to 50 mph. Forecast track remains same pic.twitter.com/59RhdHRhf9
— Eboni Deon, WSB (@EboniDeonWSB) June 21, 2017
Cindy was centered about 40 miles northwest of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and is moving north near 12 mph Thursday morning.
Meteorologist Eboni Deon said the system will bring heavy rain and storms to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and western portions of the Florida Panhandle.
The region could see severe storms, flooding and tornadoes.
Read: 2017 hurricane name list
"Its track takes it north through Louisiana before it makes a curve to the northeast across the lower Mississippi Valley by early Friday," Deon said.
Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for coastal Louisiana and southeastern Texas. Tropical storm force winds and flooding are expected. An additional 3 to 5 inches of rainfall is forecast.
The storm was blamed for one death Wednesday after a 10-year-old boy from the St. Louis area was killed on an Alabama beach when he was struck by a log that washed ashore.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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