Hurricane Ida’s track again shifts east. MS Gulf Coast could see stronger impacts.
Hurricane Ida’s track again shifted slightly east and is showing signs of rapidly strengthening, the National Hurricane Center said in its 10 p.m. forecast update.
Information gathered by the NOAA Hurricane Hunters shows pressure is dropping, which is what creates the powerful eye of the storm. And satellite shows the storm has formed more of a symmetrical circle around the center.
“These are signals that Ida is poised to strengthen further, and based on recent satellite images it appears that strengthening is imminent.”
The wind field has expanded, and tropical storm-force winds (between 39 and 73 mph) extend out 120 miles from the eye. But the peak winds showed to be leveling off.
Maximum winds are still forecast near the eye at 130 mph, which is a Category 4 storm.
Ida is moving northwest at 16 mph, and the new forecast track “is just a little to the east of the previous one through landfall.”
The track has shifted east by 15-20 miles with each update Saturday, said Jared Klein, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New Orleans.
But at 10 p.m. there were no changes to the official forecast for the Mississippi Coast.
As hurricanes strengthen they tend to wobble, he said, as Ida has done since leaving Cuba. And that could continue as the hurricane strengthens until landfall west of New Orleans on Sunday afternoon.
Significant storm surge is a threat as far east as Mobile Bay in Alabama, and 7-11 feet of water above the normal tide level is possible in Hancock and Harrison counties.
Peak winds of 80 mph are possible in western Hancock County, he said.
The strongest winds would come in the mid-afternoon to evening Sunday.
Rainfall of 10-15 inches and tornadoes are also in the forecast for the Coast.
This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 11:13 PM.
