page_title: Tropical Storm Frances (1998)
section_title: Louisiana
hierarchical_section_title: Tropical Storm Frances (1998) / Impact / Louisiana
caption_attribution_description: This image shows Tropical Storm Frances just after its Texas landfall in early September of 1998.
context_page_description: Tropical Storm Frances caused extensive flooding in Mexico and Texas in September 1998. The sixth tropical cyclone and sixth named storm of the annual hurricane season, Frances developed from a low pressure area in the Gulf of Mexico on September 8. The cyclone moved northward through the western Gulf of Mexico, making landfall across the central Texas coastline before recurving across the Midwest through southeast Canada and New England. A large tropical cyclone for the Atlantic Basin, yet an average sized system by western Pacific standards, the storm produced heavy rains across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Texas, western Louisiana and the Great Plains.
  The interaction between developing Frances and Pacific Tropical Storm Javier produced torrential rainfall in southeastern Mexico, causing flooding that killed over 200 people and caused $63 million in damage. Coastal flooding overran the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, which worsened river flooding across the region. Federal disaster declarations were made for the states of Louisiana and Texas on September 23 for damage relating to this tropical cyclone. Damage totaled US$500 million, mainly from flooding.
context_section_description: Though on the outskirts of the storm, Tropical Storm Frances dropped 10 to 15 inches (250 to 380 mm) of rain across southwest Louisiana, and over 23 inches (580 mm) of rainfall near New Orleans, Louisiana.  This rainfall helped relieve drought conditions.  Along the coast, the system caused a storm surge of 5.1 feet (1.6 m) in Cameron, the worst experienced along the coast of southwest Louisiana since Hurricane Carla.  The storm surge swept away five houses, destroyed a fishing pier, and submerged Grand Isle.  A tornado in the outer bands of the storm killed one person in Lafourche Parish, while six others were injured. At least eight tornadoes were witnessed statewide, with seven touching down across Acadiana.  In addition, the storm caused an indirect death in the New Orleans area in an automobile accident. m Also, two Pacific Coast League Playoff games involving the 1998 Triple A baseball champion New Orleans Zephyrs were cancelled due to the rain from Francis, and a third almost got called off, but thanks to the assistance from Zephyr Field ground crews and the Panther Helicopters, the Third game went on as planned, and the Zephyrs won 2-1, Sending them to the Pacific coast League Championship series. This was the first tropical system the Zephyrs had to reschedule or cancel games with that season, As the 5th and Deciding game of the Pacific coast league title series was moved into the Afternoon due to  Hurricane Georges.
caption: Frances making landfall on September 11
exif: {}