Hurricane Ida developed into a Category 2 storm Saturday, continuing to build steam as it approaches the Gulf Coast.
Forecasters expect the storm to hit the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana on Sunday, with the National Hurricane Center warning Saturday morning that the forecasts call for “rapid strengthening, bringing Ida to Category 4 status within 12 to 18 hours.”
Maximum sustained winds were measured at 100 mph with gusts measuring even higher, the National Weather Service said.
ATLANTIC BREWS WITH ACTIVITY AS PEAK HURRICANE SEASON ARRIVES AND HENRI SOCKS NORTHEAST
NWS warned of the threat of life-threatening storm surges on Sunday along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, saying the inundation could reach nine feet or more above ground level approximately between Morgan City, Louisiana, and the coast of Mississippi.
Heavy rainfall beginning Sunday and continuing through Monday from southeast Louisiana to coastal Mississippi are also expected, as are resultant flash and urban flooding and river flooding, the Hurricane Center said.
Satellite imagery indicates that max sustained winds have increased to 100mph with higher gusts. Additional rapid strengthening is forecast during the next 24hr and #Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it approaches the northern Gulf coast Sunday. pic.twitter.com/WCFUkI4vVJ
— National Weather Service (@NWS) August 28, 2021
The storm strengthened into a hurricane and hit Cuba on Friday with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Thursday in anticipation of the storm’s arrival. Edwards further requested a federal declaration of emergency on Friday, which President Joe Biden granted.
“The time for the people of Louisiana to prepare for this strong storm is now, as portions of our state will begin seeing impacts of this storm early Sunday morning, or even late Saturday evening,” Edwards said in a statement Friday. “The next 24 hours are incredibly critical for the state, and a statewide federal emergency declaration will go a long way in helping us respond to Ida.”
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The Biden administration has deployed 500 Federal Emergency Management Agency response personnel to Texas and Louisiana in addition to the 2,000 FEMA personnel supporting the administration’s COVID-19 response in the region, Biden said before a virtual briefing on Ida Saturday.
A Sunday landfall would mark 16 years to the day that Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, resulting in over 1,800 deaths.
