Hurricane Ida evokes memories of Katrina

For the second weekend in a row, the U.S. is bracing for a landfalling hurricane. This time, it's Ida, which became a hurricane Friday and is forecast to become a major storm with winds over 130 mph at landfall.

Unfortunately, the southern Louisiana coast is again a target. The state suffered through four landfalling hurricanes in the record 2020 season, so this is the last thing storm-weary residents need. Adding insult to injury, Ida is forecast to arrive on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devasted the area when it made landfall on August 29, 2005.

Businesses and residents in the path need to get ready now because the storm arrives by Sunday night. If you need assistance getting accurate, instant weather alerts, contact me. I can get your facility a demo of our site-specific alerts even on short notice as tornadoes spawned by the storm develop and flooding unfolds.

Here's a breakdown of the variety of threats the storm brings to the Southeast U.S. in the coming days. But, first, here's the track:

Ida will likely strengthen after undergoing a Rapid Intensification process, where the maximum winds increase 35 mph in 24 hours. It had 40 mph winds at 5 am Friday, and by 1 pm that afternoon, it became a 75-mph hurricane. Further rapid strengthening is likely as the storm enters the very warm (+85°F) water of the central Gulf of Mexico. Ida could grow to a catastrophic Category Four strength with landfall winds over 130 mph late Sunday.

Tropical-storm-force winds of 39 mph or higher could reach the southern Louisiana coast as early as Saturday night. Here's a complete projection from the National Hurricane Center:

Right along the coast, significant inundation to low-lying areas is likely, with a fierce storm surge forecast up to 11 feet. The surge will be highest Sunday night as the high tide begins to arrive:

As this storm makes landfall and moves inland, torrential rain leading to flash flooding will spread into central Mississippi and as far north as Tennessee. Remember, the western portion of the Volunteer state is still reeling from last weekend's deadly floods:

Are you ready for these threats? Find out how WeatherCall is different by targeting a storm threat to your exact GPS location and providing instant notification via phone, text, or email. We can even set up a demo now if you're in the storm's path. Quickly contact me to find out how.

Gene Norman is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and consultant representing WeatherCall. This nationwide company offers WeatherCall Enterprise, providing businesses with weather information needed to make critical safety decisions and HazardCall. This app lets property managers reach residents with urgent messages and automatically sends site-specific weather alerts.