MS Coast should beware of ‘life-threatening’ storm surge overnight as Hurricane Ida rages
Areas of Hancock County, including Waveland, Bay St. Louis and Diamondhead, could continue to experience “extreme life-threatening” storm surge from Hurricane Ida, which made two landfalls in Louisiana on Sunday.
A storm-surge warning from the catastrophic Category 4 hurricane remains in effect from Coastal City, Louisiana to the Alabama-Florida border, the National Hurricane Center says.
The National Weather Service issued an alert for low-lying areas of Bay St. Louis, Waveland and Diamondhead, saying, “Plan for extreme life-threatening storm surge flooding greater than 9 feet above ground.”
Ida’s hurricane wind field of 50 miles, with tropical storm winds extending out 150 miles, is pushing a massive amount of water ashore, flooding the Mississippi Coast beach highway in numerous spots.
Surge is forecast to be 8-12 feet above ground in surge-prone areas.
Ida’s storm surge continuing to ‘pile in’
Tim Destri, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Slidell, expects the storm-surge threat to continue through 5 a.m. Monday, the next high tide.
Destri said the Waveland tide gauge registered 5.6 feet of high water around noon, a moderate flood level, but had fallen to 4.8 feet by mid-afternoon, with low tide expected around 4:36 p.m. The water has risen about 5 feet since Saturday, when the gauge showed a high-water mark of half a foot, he said.
“The water’s still going to pile in because there’s tropical storm-force winds out there,” Destri said.
The next high tide is at 11 p.m. Sunday, the NHC says, which is expected to continue bringing surge ashore.
Destri said surge could be worst in Bay of St. Louis tributaries such as the Jourdan River and its tributaries, where water tends to get trapped and floods areas such as Shoreline Park in Hancock County. Surge also tends to be heavy on Beach Boulevard west of Waveland, around the area near Sliver Slipper Casino.
“Even if the winds die off a little bit, the water levels going to stay up” with rising tides Sunday evening, Destri said.
Motorists need to avoid flooded roads
He said the surge should begin to drop off more significantly after high tide in the morning as Ida continues to move inland.
Motorists should avoid coastal roads and those near rivers and tributaries that might be flooded. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says two feet of rushing water can carry away an SUV or heavy truck.
“The water really ramped up because of the strong winds,” Destri said.
The latest National Weather Service forecast Sunday afternoon called for peak winds in Hancock County at 25-35 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph. Sustained tropical storm force winds range from 39-74 mph.
Peak rainfall amounts are forecast at 8-12 inches, with higher amounts in some places.
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 4:37 PM.
