IDA INTENSIFYING OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO... ...PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION TODAY IN THE WARNING AREA ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST...
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for... * East of Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama state line * Vermilion Bay, Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, and Lake Maurepas
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for... * Intracoastal City Louisiana to the Mouth of the Pearl River * Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... * Cameron Louisiana to west of Intracoastal City Louisiana * Mouth of the Pearl River to the Alabama/Florida state line
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for... * Mobile Bay
Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area along the Louisiana coast beginning Sunday with tropical storm conditions expected to begin by late tonight or early Sunday morning. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. These conditions will spread inland over portions of Louisiana and Mississippi Sunday night and Monday.
Tornadoes will be possible Sunday into Monday across the northern Gulf coast states including parts of eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, central and southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. The longest duration tornado threat will exist across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. For storm information specific to your area in the United States, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.
At 1 p.m. CDT, the center of Hurricane Ida was located over the central Gulf of Mexico about 380 miles (610 km) southeast of Houma, Louisiana. Ida is moving toward the northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion should continue through late Sunday or early Monday, followed by a slower northward motion on Monday. A northeastward turn is forecast by Monday night. On the forecast track, the center of Ida will move over the southeastern and central Gulf of Mexico through tonight. Ida is then expected to make landfall along the coast of Louisiana within the hurricane warning area on Sunday, and then move inland over portions of Louisiana and western Mississippi later on Monday.
Satellite imagery indicates that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph (155 km/h) with higher gusts - a category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. 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). NOAA buoy 42003 located about 55 miles (90 km) northeast of the eye has reported peak sustained winds of 52 mph (83 km/h) with a gust to 62 mph (100 km/h) within the past couple of hours. The estimated minimum central pressure is 976 mb (28.82 inches). Additional rapid strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours and Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it approaches the northern Gulf coast on Sunday. Weakening is expected after Ida makes landfall.
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: - Morgan City, LA to Mouth of the Mississippi River...10-15 ft - Mouth of the Miss. River to Ocean Springs, MS including Lake Borgne...7-11 ft - Intracoastal City, LA to Morgan City, LA including Vermilion Bay...6-9 ft - Ocean Springs, MS to MS/AL state line...4-7 ft - Lake Pontchartrain...4-7 ft - Lake Maurepas...3-5 ft - Pecan Island, LA to Intracoastal City, LA...3-5 ft - MS/AL state line to AL/FL state line including Mobile Bay...2-4 ft - Sabine Pass to Pecan Island, LA...1-3 ft
Overtopping of local levees outside of the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System is possible where local inundation values may be higher than those shown above.
Heavy rainfall from Ida will begin to impact the Louisiana coast Sunday morning, spreading northeast into the Lower Mississippi Valley later Sunday into Monday. Total rainfall accumulations of 8 to 16 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches are possible across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi through Monday. This is likely to result in life-threatening flash and urban flooding impacts and significant riverine flooding impacts. Ida is forecast to turn northeast later Monday, with rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches possible from northeastern Louisiana and central Mississippi into the Tennessee Valley. This is likely to result in considerable flash and riverine flooding impacts.
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