Sept 10 (Reuters) -ICE cotton futures climbed on Tuesday, lifted by growing concerns overTropical Storm Francine as it threatens major cotton-producing areas in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.

* Cotton contracts for December CTZ4 rose 0.59 cent, or 0.9%, at 68.28 cents per lb at 12:40 p.m. EDT (1640 GMT).

* Francine was advancing toward the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, set to become the fourth hurricane of the Atlantic season, which concludes on Nov. 30. Francine could intensify into a Category 2 hurricane later on Tuesday, ahead of its expected landfall along the Louisiana coast on Wednesday evening, theNational Hurricane Center said.

* "There's a hurricane in the Gulf Coast which is threatening Louisiana primarily and then going up into Arkansas, I think that could take some cotton along the way," Varner added.

* In a weekly crop progress report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said 40% of the cotton crop was in good-to-excellent condition, compared with 44% a week ago.

* "The conditions were down a little bit, and that's kind of bullish for cotton prices,"

* The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rose as most megacap stocks gained, with focus now moving to key inflation data later this week. .N

* Brent crude futures fell below $70 a barrel for the first time since December 2021, after OPEC+ revised down its demand forecast for this year and 2025.O/R

Reporting by Sherin Elizabeth Varghese in Bengaluru
Editing by Marguerita Choy