Tropical Storm Ida has become stronger and the National Hurricane Center said it will grow to a category three, or major hurricane, prior to its expected landfall near New Orleans.
“This could be a worst-case scenario for this area, but there is still some time to fine-tune the forecast. Most reliable forecast models have the system moving into the coast of Louisiana, but how bad this storm will be for New Orleans is dependent upon where its center comes ashore,” Fox News Channel’s senior meteorologist, Janice Dean, reported Friday.
The storm is expected to reach Louisiana late Sunday and a hurricane watch was issued for areas of the Alabama and Louisiana coasts, according to NBC News.
The outlet shared a live tracking video of the storm:
“The maximum sustained winds have increased to near 60 mph with higher gusts, and additional steady to rapid strengthening is expected during the next few days,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Southeast Louisiana and the coast of Mississippi and Alabama may see nearly 16 inches of rain and some areas experiencing 20 inches through Monday.
“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 center noted.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) declared a state of emergency Thursday due to the possible impacts of the storm:
“Now is the time for people to finalize their emergency game plan, which should take into account the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Monitor the news and updates from the @NWS and your local leaders, check on neighbors, include plans for your pets, and stay safe,” he wrote in a subsequent Twitter post:
New Orleans was also under a hurricane watch and some residents were already stocking up on food and supplies prior to the storm’s arrival, AccuWeather reported Thursday.
Meanwhile, Edwards said Louisiana residents had been “tested time and time again, and while it is my hope and prayer that this storm will not bring destruction to our state, we should be prepared to take the brunt of the severe weather.”