Hurricane IDA is now a Category 4 storm and Louisiana is bracing for this monster to make landfall today.
Extremely life-threatening storm surge inundation of 9 feet or greater above ground level is imminent somewhere within the area from Burns Point, Louisiana, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Overtopping of local levees outside of the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System is possible where local inundation values may be higher. Interests throughout the Storm Surge Warning area should follow any advice given by local officials.
Catastrophic wind damage is likely where the core of Ida moves onshore along the southeast coast of Louisiana in the next few hours. Hurricane-force winds are expected today within the Hurricane Warning area along the Louisiana coast, including metropolitan New Orleans.
Damaging winds, especially in gusts, will spread inland near the track of the center of Ida across portions of southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi today through early Monday. These winds will likely lead to widespread tree damage and power outages.
Just weather is live with cams in New Orleans:
Ida will produce heavy rainfall today through Monday across the central Gulf Coast from southeastern Louisiana, coastal Mississippi, to far southwestern Alabama resulting in considerable to life-threatening flash and urban flooding and significant river flooding impacts.
As Ida moves inland, significant flooding impacts are possible across portions of the Lower Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio Valleys through Wednesday.
Data from the NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 105 mph (165 km/h) with higher gusts.
“Rapid strengthening is forecast during the next 12 to 24 hours and Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it makes landfall along the Louisiana coast on Sunday. Rapid weakening is expected after landfall,” said the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles (205 km).
The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide.
The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide…
- Port Fourchon, LA to Mouth of the Mississippi River…12-16 ft
- Morgan City, LA to Port Fourchon, LA…8-12 ft
- Mouth of the Mississippi River to Bay St. Louis, MS including Lake Borgne…8-12 ft
- Burns Point, LA to Morgan City, LA…6-9 ft
- Bay St. Louis, MS to Ocean Springs, MS…6-9 ft
- Lake Pontchartrain…5-8 ft
- Ocean Springs, MS to MS/AL border…4-7 ft
- Intracoastal City, LA to Burns Point, LA including Vermilion Bay…4-6 ft
- Lake Maurepas…4-6 ft
- Pecan Island, LA to Intracoastal City, LA…2-4 ft
- MS/AL border to AL/FL border including Mobile Bay…3-5 ft
- Sabine Pass to Pecan Island, LA…1-3 ft
- AL/FL border to Okaloosa/Walton County Line including Pensacola Bay…1-3 ft
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