Hurricane Ida has strengthened into a Category 4 just hours ahead of landfall in southeast Louisiana, where it will bring life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and dangerous rainfall flooding.
Ida had winds of 150 mph as of 7 a.m. CDT on Sunday, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane. Maximum sustained winds in Ida increased by 65 mph in the 24 hours ending 7 a.m. CDT, which easily meets the criteria for the rapid intensification of a tropical cyclone.
Bands of heavy rain containing strong wind gusts are spreading into the northern Gulf Coast ahead of Ida’s landfall.
Wind gusts over 100 mph have been clocked at elevated weather stations along the coast of southeast Louisiana. Storm surge has pushed water levels about 4 feet above normal at Shell Beach, Louisiana.
Ida is centered 50 miles south-southwest of the southeastern tip of Louisiana and is moving to the northwest at 15 mph. Landfall in southeast Louisiana should occur in the next several hours.
Weakening of Ida to a tropical storm and then a tropical depression is expected as it tracks inland through the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys early this week.
A hurricane warning is posted from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, eastward to the mouth of the Pearl River, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and the New Orleans metro area.
A tropical storm warning is posted from Cameron, Louisiana east to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, and from the Pearl River in Louisiana to the Alabama/Florida border. Tropical storm warnings are also in effect as far inland as northeast Louisiana and central Mississippi.