The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Hunters have found Ida is now a category 4 hurricane.
"Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft and NOAA Doppler weather radars indicate that Hurricane Ida has continued to rapidly intensify this Sunday morning. Maximum sustained winds are now estimated to be 130 mph (215 km/h). This makes Ida a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale."
The advisory from the Hurricane Center says Ida will keep getting stronger.
"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."
Ida could have winds of 140 miles per hour or higher before hitting land somewhere between Houma and Grand Isle.
"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."
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
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STORM SURGE: 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 Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, MS including Lake Borgne...7-11 ft
Burns Point, LA to Morgan City, LA...6-9 ft
Lake Pontchartrain...5-8 ft
Ocean Springs, MS to MS/AL border...4-7 ft
Intracoastal City, LA to Burns Point, LA including Vermilion Bay...4-6 ft
Lake Maurepas...4-6 ft
Pecan Island, LA to Intracoastal City, LA...2-4 ft
MS/AL border to AL/FL border 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.
The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.
WIND: Hurricane conditions are expected in the Hurricane Warning area along the Louisiana coast beginning by late morning with tropical storm conditions expected to begin by early this morning. These conditions will spread inland over portions of Louisiana and Mississippi tonight and Monday.
RAINFALL: Heavy rainfall from Ida will begin to impact the Louisiana later this morning, spreading northeast into the Lower Mississippi Valley by later today into Monday. Total rainfall accumulations of 8 to 16 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches are possible across southeast Louisiana into southern Mississippi through Monday. This is likely to result in life-threatening flash and urban flooding and significant riverine flooding impacts.
Elsewhere across eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southwestern Alabama and the Middle Tennessee Valley -- considerable flash and riverine flooding impacts are likely on Monday and Tuesday, with rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches possible. Rainfall from Ida will begin to affect the Ohio Valley by mid-week, resulting in flash and riverine flooding impacts.
TORNADOES: Tornadoes will be possible today into Monday across eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, central and southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.
