Tropical Storm Ida is poised to rapidly intensify and take aim at coastal Louisiana as a major hurricane of Category 3 intensity or greater.
A dangerous hurricane scenario is taking shape across the Gulf Coast for this weekend, as As of Friday morning, Ida was moving northwest near the Cayman Islands, headed toward western Cuba. It is forecast to emerge over the bathtub-like waters of the Gulf of Mexico Friday night, where it will gain strength.
"The risk of hurricane-force winds continues to increase, especially along portions of the Louisiana coast, including metropolitan New Orleans," the Hurricane Center stated. "The storm is expected to move relatively quickly toward land, meaning that residents only have about 24 to 36 hours to complete preparations and evacuations before the storm's impacts begin.
The only clear impediment to the storm as of Friday morning is the possibility that the terrain of Cuba could disrupt its inner circulation for a period of time Friday into Friday night, delaying intensification and therefore putting a lower lid on its intensity at landfall.Water is a big threat with this storm, with initial projections showing a storm surge of 7 to 11 feet above normally dry ground in coastal Louisiana, and up to 15 inches of rainfall likely even well inland.
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Louisiana Braces For Major Hurricane As Tropical Storm Ida Strengthens On Path To Gulf CoastI am a London-based reporter for Forbes covering breaking news. Previously, I have worked as a reporter for a specialist legal publication covering big data and as a freelance journalist and policy analyst covering science, tech and health. I have a master’s degree in Biological Natural Sciences and a master’s degree in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge. Follow me on Twitter theroberthart or email me at rhartforbes.com
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