National Hurricane Center | Saffir-Simpson Scale | FEMA Region 6
Update 8:37 pm – Ida is still a cat3 with sustained winds of 115mph, but she’s beginning to weaken. Things have improved some, but Ida is still a powerful hurricane. If you’re in the affected area, you have several more hours to go.
For me, this is my last update for today. I’m heading to bed. Stay safe and take care of each other.
Update 6:18 pm – Ida is now a strong category 3 hurricane. It’s amazing that it is still a fully formed hurricane after about 6 hours over land. It’s moving north and kind of northeast. Just southwest of New Orleans.
Update 4:11 pm – Ida continues to move inland as a category 4 storm. Sustained winds are still 130 mph. It is amazing that this storm has held it together for four hours after making landfall. Several more hours to go.
Update 12:00 noon – Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana as a category 4 hurricane. With sustained winds of ~150mph, Ida is not weakening yet.
This is just the beginning. There’s still several more hours to go before it weakens to a tropical depression.
Update Sunday 10:06am – Ida remains a very strong category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150mph+. The outer bands are moving on shore with the eye expected to arrive later today. A tornado watch has been issued for multiple states.
Update 1:53 am – The NHC has upgraded Ida to a cat4 hurricane.
Update Sunday 1:00 am – Ida has been upgraded to a cat3 (almost a cat4) hurricane. It continues to intensify and forecasters are still expecting Ida to be a cat4 when it reaches land.
Update 4:00 pm – The latest track is showing Ida shifting slightly to the east.
Update 2:00 pm – Ida has intensified to a cat2 hurricane.
Update 11:20 am – This new satellite image shows the size of this storm. It’s nothing to be taken lightly.
Updated Saturday, 7:15am – Ida will intensify today and through the night. This is a dangerous storm and models are still showing landfall as a cat4 storm. Several warnings have been issued for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The current track will bring the eye of Ida to Louisiana, but this is a very large system and will affect multiple states.
Ida will approach the coastline on the 16th anniversary of Katrina. I don’t want a repeat of that day. If you are in the warned areas, the best thing you can do is evacuate. DO NOT attempt to ride it out.
For more information visit: Office of Governor John Bel Edwards (louisiana.gov).
Update 8:48 pm – The latest guidance indicates that Ida could become at cat4 when it reaches the Gulf. This is going to be a dangerous storm. Evacuations are taking place.
Ida became a cat1 hurricane today and she is expected to become a cat3 by the time it reaches the shores of Louisiana.
Preparations for landfall should be made now. Landfall is expected to happen on Sunday.
Louisiana Governor Edwards declared a state of emergency.
I’ll update this post when necessary.