Hurricane Ida Projected to Make Landfall Sunday as a Category 4 Packing Winds of 130 to 156 MPH
By Space Coast Daily // August 29, 2021
IDA WILL MAKE landfall along the Louisiana coast Sunday afternoon
Hurricane-force winds are expanded to 40 miles from the storm’s center and tropical-storm-force winds are recorded at 140 miles from the core.
(NHC) – Hurricane Ida has strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane and is now packing maximum sustained winds near 115 mph as it moved closer to Louisiana.
According to the latest National Hurricane Center report, the track has shifted east and is projected to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, which is on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, has winds of 130 mph to 156 mph.
The storm is predicted to weaken after landfall, and the National Hurricane Center issued this update at 1 a.m. Sunday:
At 100 AM CDT (0600 UTC), the center of the eye of Hurricane Ida was located by an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft and NOAA Doppler weather radars near latitude 27.6 North, longitude 88.7 West. Ida is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h), and this general motion should continue through tonight and early Monday, followed by a slower northward motion on Monday afternoon. A northeastward turn is forecast by Monday night. On the forecast track, the center of Ida will continue moving across the north-central Gulf of Mexico this morning, and make landfall along the coast of Louisiana within the hurricane warning area this afternoon or evening. Ida is then forecast to move well inland over portions of Louisiana and western Mississippi on Monday and Monday night. Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph (185 km/h) with higher gusts. Ida is now a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Rapid strengthening is forecast to continue during the next 12 hours or so, and Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it makes landfall along the Louisiana coast this afternoon. Rapid weakening is expected after landfall. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km). The minimum central pressure measured by an Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft is 955 mb (28.20 inches).
Life-threatening storm surge, potentially catastrophic wind damage and flooding rainfall are expected to impact the Northern Gulf Coast beginning Sunday morning.
Hurricane-force winds are expanded to 40 miles from the storm’s center and tropical-storm-force winds are recorded at 140 miles from the core.
According to the NHC, Ida is moving at 16 mph and should continue this same speed through late Sunday or early Monday.
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