Tropical Storm Francine churned in the Gulf of Mexico with increasing strength and was expected to reach hurricane status on Tuesday before reaching landfall in Louisiana.The National Hurricane Center said Francine was last about 125 miles southeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande, and about 395 miles south-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana, with top sustained winds of about 65 miles per hour. It was moving north at 5 mph.A hurricane warning is now in effect for the Louisiana coast east of Morgan City to Grand Isle. A Tropical Storm Warning is now in effect for the Louisiana coast east of Grand Isle to the mouth of the Pearl River, including metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain, and Lake Maurepas.A storm surge warning was in effect for an area stretching from just east of Houston to the mouth of the Mississippi River south of New Orleans, according to the hurricane center. Such …