
Hurricane Ida Intensifies To Category 4 As It Barrels Toward Gulf Coast
HuffPost
The potentially devastating storm is expected to make landfall Sunday afternoon.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida was rapidly intensifying early Sunday, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane on track for a potentially devastating landfall on the Louisiana coast while emergency officials in the region grappled with opening shelters for displaced evacuees despite the risks of spreading the coronavirus. Ida quickly gained strength as it moved into the northern Gulf, going from top winds of 115 mph (185 kph) in a 1 a.m. update to 145 mph (230 kph) a few hours later. The system was expected to make landfall Sunday afternoon, set to arrive on the exact date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier. The storm was centered about 65 miles (100 kilometers) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and 80 miles (130 kilometers) south-southeast of costal Grand Isle, Louisiana. It was traveling northwest at 15 mph (24 kph).More Related News