Almost Over
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Ida moved into the southern Gulf of Mexico. A hurricane warning is in effect from Pascagoula, Mississippi to Indian Pass, Florida. This area now includes New Orleans, which had earlier been excluded from the watch, and Lake Pontchartain. As of the time posting of this blog, Ida had maximum sustained winds near 105 mph with higher gusts, but is expected to weaken tomorrow and possibly begin losing tropical characteristics on Tuesday, according to the hurricane center. Ida is expected to be near coastal areas of the northern Gulf by Monday night or early Tuesday. It is expected that the combination of wind shear, cooler water temperatures and the interaction with a strong frontal system pushing off the Gulf Coast will weaken Ida’s force, but that Ida will nevertheless remain hurricane strength. In Alabama, Baldwin County officials declared a local state iof emergency and urged residents living in coastal communities or low-lying, flood-prone areas to voluntarily evacuate. Florida’s Division of Emergency Management asked residents to have disaster plans in place, as the State’s Gulf Coast has the potential to see several inches of rain, strong winds, isolated tornadoes and dangerous surf and coastal flooding beginning Monday evening and continuing into Wednesday. Thankfully, the Atlantic hurricane season ends November 30.