Ida's top sustained winds have fallen to 105 mile per hour, a Category 2 hurricane, as it moves to the north-northwest at nine miles per hour.
The center of the storm is about 40 miles west-northwest of New Orleans and 30 miles east-southeast of Baton Rouge.
"As Ida continues inland, rapid weakening is expected due to a combination of land interaction and an increase in wind shear," said National Hurricane Center forecaster John Cangialosi.
However, damaging winds are likely to continue for several more hours into Monday morning.
"Ida is expected to turn northward by early Monday as it moves in the flow on the western side of a subtropical ridge," said Cangialosi. "A faster motion to the northeast is expected by Tuesday as a mid- to upper-level trough approaches the system, with that motion continuing through much of the remainder of the week."