9 hours ago - Energy & Environment NOAA's updated hurricane outlook calls for even more storms in 2021 Andrew Freedman
Satellite view of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 over the Bahamas. Hurricane Dorian seen on Sept. 2, 2019. Photo: NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday updated its 2021 Atlantic hurricane seasonal forecast, slightly increasing expectations for the number of named storms and powerful hurricanes.
Why it matters: With the U.S. already reeling from extreme heat and wildfires, disaster response agencies are overstretched. A particularly destructive and active hurricane season could overwhelm some of its response capacity.
Details: The updated forecast is based on conditions observed across the North Atlantic Ocean basin, including sea surface temperatures, upper-level winds, rainfall in West Africa, and the potential development of another La Niña event in the tropical Pacific, among other factors.
This hurricane season comes in the wake of the North Atlantic basin's most active season on record, with 30 named storms occurring in 2020, 11 of which struck the U.S., setting a benchmark.
By the numbers: NOAA is forecasting a 65% chance of an above-average season, with a 70% probability of 15–21 named storms. Of these named storms, NOAA is predicting that 7–10 will be hurricanes and 3–5 will be major hurricanes of Category 3, 4 or 5 strength.
These numbers reflect the five named storms that have already formed this season, including the earliest fifth-named storm on record for the Atlantic basin (Hurricane Elsa). While the season has slowed its pace since the early storms, NOAA meteorologist Matthew Rosecrans said that quiet is not likely to remain. "NOAA forecasters do anticipate that a busy hurricane season lies ahead," Rosecrans said. NOAA typically updates its outlook as the peak of the hurricane season during August, September and October begins.
Flashback: Of the 30 named storms last year, 13 were hurricanes, and seven were "major" hurricanes of at least Category 3 intensity.
The hardest-hit region last year was the Gulf Coast, particularly central and western Louisiana, where two hurricanes struck land within 25 miles of each other at different points in the season. Yes, but: NOAA did not cite climate change in this outlook.
However, climate change's influence on tropical cyclones, which is the general term for tropical storms, hurricanes and typhoons, is increasingly detectable, according to scientific studies. Nearly a dozen of the storms in the Atlantic Ocean last year underwent a process known as rapid intensification, leaping across several intensity categories in a matter of hours. In a warming world, more frequent bouts of rapid intensification are expected.
In addition, hurricanes are now moving more slowly, and they may be weakening more slowly once they cross over land. They're also dropping more rainfall than they used to, thanks to the added moisture from warmer ocean and air temperatures.
Other forecasting groups that issue seasonal outlooks have unanimously called for an above-average season, though not as busy as 2020 was. These include Colorado State University, AccuWeather and Penn State University.
Let this sink in..... On 12-31-23 it be will 123123. On the flip side, you can tune a piano but you can't tune-a-fish.
NOAA increases number of named storms expected in the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season 1 day ago
(WSYR-TV) — The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1. Since then, we’ve had 5 named storms. Recently the Atlantic has been quiet but NOAA says the season shows no signs of slowing.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issued their annual mid-season update in early August, increasing the number of named storms they first predicted back in May.
The original outlook had 13-20 named storms expected for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. The mid-season update states that the season is expected to have 15-21 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater). Of the 15-21 named storms, they predict that 7-10 will be hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater), of which 3-5 could become major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5 with winds 111 mph or greater).
“After a record-setting start, the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season does not show any signs of relenting as it enters the peak months ahead,” said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator.
“A mix of competing oceanic and atmospheric conditions generally favor above-average activity for the remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season, including the potential return of La Nina in the months ahead,” said Matthew Rosencrans, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
The update covers the entire hurricane season, from June 1 to November 30.
Looking at the list of names for this years storms, I see Ida listed.
I had a great-aunt named Ida. A mean, ugly woman in her later years. That will be a storm to watch because if it turns out like her, it will be a storm you don't want to be near.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Do you live near the ocean? Here, in central Ohio, Hurricanes usually are not much of a problem, very seldom. (The blizzard of 1978 was technically an inland hurricane, I've been told.) One event since 2000 with 80-120mph winds. Sometimes, if the remnants of hurricanes make their way up here, if you know where to go you can experience the remaining straight line winds, as a novelty very soft winds at that point.
There is a land area, between Cleveland and Columbus, that extends over to similarly between Indianapolis and Lake Michigan, which are pretty much the headwaters of a watershed. I mean everything to the right, the rivers flow north eventually to the St Lawrence seaway or out the Hudson river by New York, iirc. into the Atlantic. and then Everything to the left, Flows eventually into the Mississippi and out to the gulf of Mexico by New Orleans, Any rain that falls in that small area goes one way or the other, That means if a Hurricane Storm Surge hit there, the whole country would be flooded, east of the Mississippi at least. (Except the Mountains of course.)
Somewhere around Medina you have the Lake Erie watershed where all the rain heads towards the lake. Water south of that eventually ends up in the Ohio river.
Divides are all over the place, be it continental divide or watershed divides.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Do you live near the ocean? Here, in central Ohio, Hurricanes usually are not much of a problem, very seldom. (The blizzard of 1978 was technically an inland hurricane, I've been told.) One event since 2000 with 80-120mph winds. Sometimes, if the remnants of hurricanes make their way up here, if you know where to go you can experience the remaining straight line winds, as a novelty very soft winds at that point.
There is a land area, between Cleveland and Columbus, that extends over to similarly between Indianapolis and Lake Michigan, which are pretty much the headwaters of a watershed. I mean everything to the right, the rivers flow north eventually to the St Lawrence seaway or out the Hudson river by New York, iirc. into the Atlantic. and then Everything to the left, Flows eventually into the Mississippi and out to the gulf of Mexico by New Orleans, Any rain that falls in that small area goes one way or the other, That means if a Hurricane Storm Surge hit there, the whole country would be flooded, east of the Mississippi at least. (Except the Mountains of course.)
(The blizzard of 1978 was technically an inland hurricane, I've been told).
Actually, the Blizzard of 78 "was your worst nightmare" if you were caught in it.
Ya just gotta love the "windchill factor of -100 degrees below zero thing in the article below.
I was working from 6a-3p in a store at Strathmore and Euclid almost across the street from Shaw HS. All stores closed, including mine. 12-15' snow drifts, etc, etc. Everything closed. Took me 10+ hrs to get from there back to my apt(Bishop Park apts) in Willoughby Hills(10-12mile drive?). Saw, easily, 120-150 cars stranded, buried, overturned, etc. The rapid transits were blown over!!!
The Blizzard of 1978
(pics in link)
When Cleveland Magazine celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1997, the “snow of the century” was remembered as one of “The 25 Biggest Moments of the Last 25 Years.” Tears glistened behind his glasses as Gov. James A. Rhodes spoke to the thousands of Ohioans stuck at home — or, worse, stranded — froze and in the dark, terrorized by the elements.
“They’re helpless, they’re victims,” he choked. “They want mercy and we can’t get to them.”
Rhodes called it a “killer blizzard.” The Plain Dealer called it the “snow of the century.” Lorain’s daily newspaper, The Journal, called it “the blizzard that stopped Ohio.”
Many Ohioans didn’t realize anything was wrong until their electric alarm clocks failed to awake them on the morning of Jan. 26, 1978. It didn’t matter; most of them wouldn’t go anywhere anyway. The blizzard had virtually immobilized the state and ultimately was blamed for 21 deaths.
Six inches of snow has dumped on Greater Cleveland within 12 hours. Whipped by wind gusts exceeding 80 miles per hour, the snow created drifts that made roads impassable. Cars were abandoned throughout the area. For the first time in its 20-year history, the Ohio Turnpike was closed from one end to the other.
The wind chill at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport registered as low as 100 degrees below zero. Power was cut off to some 175,000 homes throughout the state. In Cuyahoga County alone, nearly 1,000 people crowded into the emergency shelters. The city of Cleveland opened its fire stations and recreation centers to those who sought refuge.
There has been little warning.
On the morning of the storm, the lead story in The Plain Dealer concerned the call Mayor Dennis Kucinich and his then wife, Sandy, had made on President Jimmy Carter the day before. The story reported that, on his first visit to the Oval Office, the mayor had asked the president to finance a $1.5 million sewer construction project for Cleveland.
Tucked neatly under the Kucinich story, the morning paper carried a modest report on the possibility of a winter storm. The forecast called for up to 3 inches of snow. When more than twice the predicted snowfall hit, the mayor was forced to remain in Washington — Hopkins was closed — and his staff of mavericks was left to cope with the crisis at home.
“The blizzard was the enemy and the enemy was at the gate,” wrote Joe Wagner, the PD’s feared and admired City Hall reporter who now covers politics for the Lorain newspaper. “There was a sense of urgency as Cleveland’s acting mayor, Joseph G. Tegreene, the 24-year-old political boy wonder, gathered his lieutenants to map battle plans. There was also a sense of pride.”
PD editorials wrote with equally dramatic flair in describing the storm’s brutality:
“The hurricane-force wind ripped roofs apart, tore breath from the throats of pedestrians, knocked down power lines, uprooted trees, paralyzed commerce. A steel railroad bridge on Whiskey Island was twisted askew. Swirling snow reduced visibility sometimes to a matter of several feet, creating virtual whiteouts. Driven before the wind, snow stung the face as smartly as blowing sand. Tears flowed. Eyelashes froze.”
Blizzard of 1978, Jim Truly Story
Only the heartiest of souls — including 2,000 National Guardsmen called up by Rhodes — willingly ventured out. Others simply got caught. Among the latter unfortunates was Jim Truly, a 43-year-old Cleveland truck driver who for the remainder of his life — he died in 1986 — would recall the date as “the day I got buried.”
Truly was buried alive for six days inside the cab of his 40-foot tractor-trailer rig, covered by drifting snow that shut Ohio Route 13 north of Mansfield, 70 miles southwest of Cleveland. Trapped without food or heat for 124 hours, he ate snow, smoked cigarettes and prayed.
A year later, when he told his story to a young reporter, Truly spoke calmly and matter-of-factly — the same way he had approached his ordeal in the snow. “I never gave up,” he said.
He explained how he fell asleep in his cab awoke in darkness. Calls for help over his CB radio went unanswered. Still, his CB — or, more precisely, his CB antenna — would prove to be the catalyst of his rescue.
“I woke up, seen I couldn’t get out, and I figured, Well, the snow plow will be along,” Truly told the reporter. “When it didn’t come, I figured, Well, somebody will come. I knew I could count on my brother. He’d come looking for me.”
He was right.
While the crisis has passed for most Ohioans in the days following the blizzard, Don — who now is retired and lives in Strongsville — was desperately searching for his missing brother.
“I knew where he was going, but I didn’t know what route he was taking,” he said recently. So he and other family members started tracing various paths Jim might have followed. One area, Don recalled, was “suspicious.”
“The wind blew so much that there was 20 feet of snow in the road,” he said. “So we went back the next day, and some of the snow had blown off. We spotted a shiny antenna poking up about an inch out of the snow. We walked across there, and felt something [under our] feet. I said ‘He’s alive. He’s in the truck yet.’”
Borrowing a shovel from someone nearby, he started digging. “We dug down to the window and Jim rolled it down.” Don peered in. “The truck looked like the inside of a freezer,” he said. Yet his brother was able to walk out on his own.
Jim Truly went back to work as a trucker, and Dennis Kucinich came home — just in time to read the first in the series of articles the PD began on the nagging problems of the Municipal Light Plant, the start of the blizzard that would bury Kucinich himself.
Life returned to normal. Or at least as normal as it got in Cleveland during the late ’70s.
This story was originally published in the December 1997 edition of Cleveland Magazine.
I'd love to tell you about our 'blizzard of '78" story.
Long lane, wooded area. 8'-10' drift across our drive. I, and my brothers, could walk from the drifts in our yard onto our house roof.
Dad had to get to work - or so he thought. CEO of the hospital. he called some friends that had snowmobiles. 2 of them came over - 2 sleds - 12 miles from where the lived, to take dad the 15 miles to the hospital.
When the friends showed up, dad, with a suitcase packed, said to us all "I'll see you when all of this is over." And off he went. On snowmobile.
I was a teen and remember the blizzard well. After digging ourselves out, my dad bundled up and jumped on his backhoe (with no cab) and spent all but a few hours of the next three days rescuing people and digging them out. He never asked for a dime to help anyone, but many paid him anyway. He made over 2 grand cash and was out about 18 hours a day doing this for those three or four days. It was crazy.
My friends and I cleared walks and driveways for days after and made a ton of spending money. Some of those big drifts took hours to shovel.
I was only 8, but remember it well. In Avon Lake we didn't get many snow days, but we got that one, and we spent the day jumping in the snow drifts, digging tunnels, building forts, snowball fights.
The joys of being a kid and not having to concern ourselves with the real issues it caused.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
Tropical Storm Henri Will Likely Bring Rain, Wind and Storm Surge to Parts of Northeast; Hurricane Warnings Hoisted By weather.com meteorologists3 hours ago
Henri is strengthening and is expected to become a hurricane. Henri will likely track close to New England and Long Island late weekend into early next week. Hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge warnings have been issued for parts of the Northeast.
Tropical Storm Henri is strengthening into a hurricane over the Atlantic and will track toward the Northeast, likely making landfall in southern New England or on Long Island late Sunday.
Residents of the Northeast U.S., especially New England and Long Island, should monitor Henri's progress closely since it may bring wind, rain and storm surge impacts to parts of the region late this weekend into early next week.
A storm surge warning has been issued for the south shore of Long Island from Mastic Beach eastward to Montauk, on the north shore of Long Island from Oyster Bay eastward to Montauk, as well as from Greenwich, Connecticut east to Chatham, Massachusetts, including Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Block Island. A storm surge warning is issued when there is a threat of life-threatening storm surge within the next 36 hours.
A storm surge watch has been issued for coastal Long Island from Mastic Beach and Oyster Bay eastward to Montauk Point, from Flushing, New York to Greenwich, Connecticut, and from Chatham, Massachusetts to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts. This watch is also in effect for Cape Cod Bay.
A hurricane warning has been issued for Long Island from Fire Island Inlet and from Port Jefferson Harbor eastward, as well as from New Haven, Connecticut, to Watch Hill, Rhode Island. A hurricane warning is issued 36 hours before the first onset of tropical-storm-force winds
A hurricane watch continues for Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Block Island, and from Watch Hill, Rhode Island eastward to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts. A hurricane watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds. Hurricane conditions are possible in the watch areas Sunday, with tropical storm conditions by early Sunday.
A tropical storm watch has been issued west of Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey to East Rockaway Inlet, New York, including New York City. A tropical storm watch means tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours.
The forecast trend includes more impacts in New England with each successive update from the National Hurricane Center.
Henri is located 695 miles south of Montauk Point, New York, or midway between Bermuda and the Carolinas, and is moving north-northwestward.
Henri has been battling wind shear and dry air. However, wind shear is expected to begin to weaken later Friday and Henri will be tracking across very warm water. This should result in strengthening, likely into a hurricane.
Forecast Track, Intensity Uncertain
Henri has turned toward the north-northwest and is expected to turn toward the north by Friday night. Its forward speed will increase as it tracks northward Saturday. This more northerly track will be influenced by the steering from a ridge of high pressure over the north-central Atlantic and an upper-level disturbance over the eastern U.S.
Henri's circulation center is likely to move within the forecast path shown below, but whether this track is directly into New England or a bit farther west or just off the East Coast will be determined by the outcome of the steering pattern mentioned above. Impacts will spread well beyond this cone.
image Current Status, Forecast Path (The red-shaded area denotes the potential path of the center of the system. It's important to note that impacts (particularly heavy rain, high surf, coastal flooding, winds) with any tropical system usually spread beyond its forecast path) For now, the National Hurricane Center forecasts Henri to be weakening from a Category 1 hurricane to a strong tropical storm as it approaches New England because the system will encounter cooler waters and some possible increased wind shear during that time.
Henri's forward progress could also slow down on approach to New England because of blocking high pressure to its north over Quebec.
Potential Impacts The bottom line is that Henri could bring wind, rain and storm surge impacts to at least parts of New England and Long Island beginning as soon as the late weekend. Those in New England and Long Island should keep up to date and make preparations for possible impacts.
Storm Surge Tides will also be running higher than normal this weekend due to the full moon, which could worsen the impact of any storm surge flooding. The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide could cause the water to reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:
-Watch Hill, Rhode Island, to Chatham, Massachusetts, including Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay, Vineyard Sound, Nantucket Sound: 3 to 5 feet
-Chatham, Massachusetts eastward to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts, including Cape Cod Bay: 2-4 feet
-East Rockaway Inlet, New York, to Montauk Point, New York, the north shore of Long Island and from Flushing, New York, to Watch Hill, Rhode Island: 2 to 4 feet
-Cape May, New Jersey, to East Rockaway Inlet, New York: 1 to 3 feet.
Tropical-storm-force winds could reach southern New England by Sunday morning and could be prolonged once they arrive. Hurricane-force winds are also a concern in the hurricane watch area for Sunday.
The strongest winds will likely be focused east of the track of Henri's center.
Keep in mind that impacts can occur quite a distance away from where the actual center of Henri tracks.
Probability of Tropical Storm Force Winds (The contours above show the chance of tropical-storm-force winds (at least 39 mph) and the most likely time they could first arrive, according to the latest forecast by the National Hurricane Center.) Rainfall
Rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches, are expected over Long Island and southern New England Sunday into Monday. Heavy rainfall may result in flash flooding and small stream flooding. Much of this region has experienced a very wet summer and recently received heavy rainfall from the remnant of Fred, meaning flooding is a significant threat.
The heaviest rain from Henri is expected to be along and west of its track.
High Surf, Rip Currents Increased swells are expected along the East Coast by late week into the weekend.
High surf and life-threatening rip currents could impact beaches from parts of the Southeast to the mid-Atlantic by the end of the week. The high surf and rip currents will then spread northward up the East Coast this weekend.
Those in the path.....stay safe and/or get outta there!
Hurricane Henri puts 42 million under storm alerts as it heads to Northeast coast By Jason Hanna and Aya Elamroussi, CNN Updated 4:22 PM EDT, Sat August 21, 2021
(CNN)Hurricane Henri is marching toward the Northeast coast ahead of an anticipated Sunday landfall, threatening to bring damaging winds, dangerous storm surge and flooding to an already saturated area.
Henri, which strengthened from a tropical storm late Saturday morning over the Atlantic, could make landfall at or near hurricane strength on New York's Long Island or southern New England on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Strong wind and rain will likely smack a broad area from New York City into New England -- and since the area is saturated from recent rain, Henri could easily down trees and set up days of power outages.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned people in flood-prone areas: Move to safety now.
"If you know you are in an area that tends to flood ... get out of that area now, please," Cuomo said in a televised news briefing Saturday. "If you have to get to higher ground it has to be today."
Significant damage is possible in this already-soaked region even if Henri is not a hurricane at landfall, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell said.
"We're going to see power outages, we're going to see downed trees, and even after the storm has passed, the threat of falling trees and limbs is still out there," Criswell told CNN Saturday morning.
President Joe Biden held a "hurricane preparedness call" Saturday afternoon with governors in the New England region to discuss preparations for the storm, a White House official said.
Millions under weather warnings Henri's center had sustained winds of 75 mph late Saturday afternoon. Hurricane conditions and heavy rain could start in some of these areas late Saturday.
Hurricane warnings have been issued for nearly 6 million people in areas including parts of Long Island, and from New Haven, Connecticut, to west of Westport, Massachusetts.
More than 36 million other people are under tropical storm warnings, including parts of New Jersey and New York -- including New York City -- and large parts of southern New England.
A hurricane landfall in this region would be somewhat rare. Long Island has not had a direct hurricane hit since Gloria in 1985; New England last saw a hurricane landfall with Hurricane Bob in 1991.
Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey in 2012 with hurricane force winds and devastated swaths of the Northeast, though it technically was a post-tropical cyclone when it came ashore. Henri's wind field at landfall is expected to be a quarter of the size, CNN meteorologists said.
With Henri, storm surges also are a major concern: Surges between 3 and 5 feet are possible Sunday in areas including parts of Long Island to Chatham, Massachusetts, the hurricane center said.
People living in an area under storm surge warnings "should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions," the hurricane center said Saturday morning.
On Long Island's East End, Christine Oakland-Hill said road flooding was just one of her concerns for her shoreside business, Oakland's Restaurant and Marina, which has been there 30 years.
"God forbid this is head on," Oakland-Hill told CNN affiliate WCBS on Friday. "We have some big concerns. This (business) is our legacy."
Doreen Puco was running errands at Long Island's Oyster Bay to prepare for the storm. "I'm afraid of losing my power," Puco told WCBS Friday. "I just hope they're better prepared than they have been in the past."
Portions of New England and southeast New York could see widespread rainfall of 3-6 inches through Monday, with isolated totals near 10 inches possible -- and could lead to flash, urban and stream and river flooding.
As Henri moves parallel to the East Coast on Saturday, rip currents also will be a concern from North Carolina to Massachusetts.
More than 50 rescues from rip currents were reported in North Carolina's coastal Wilmington area alone on Friday, the National Weather Service in that city said.
New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island officials said National Guard members were activated or otherwise poised ahead of the storm to help with any rescues, cleanup and other support.
Mayor Keith Hedrick of Groton, Connecticut, told CNN the city has decided to order mandatory evacuations in some neighborhoods, and authorities will go door-to-door in those parts of town to advise residents to leave ahead of the hurricane.
Earlier Saturday, the city recommended a voluntary evacuation for some residents by 10 p.m., including those who live on Shore Ave., Beach Pond Road, Pine Island Road and Jupiter Point.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker warned residents to be prepared for possible prolonged power outages, minor flooding and tropical-storm-force winds and urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and to delay weekend getaways to Cape Cod.
In a news conference Saturday afternoon, Baker said that while the state will "avoid the direct hit," it will likely still feel impacts including the outages, winds, storm surge and significant rainfall. He warned there is a chance of flooding and washed-out roads in Berkshire and Worcester counties, especially given the previous rainfall.
"Looks like we will avoid the worst," the governor said. "But everyone should still pay attention to local weather alerts."
Gov. Cuomo said Saturday he would declare an emergency for areas including Long Island, New York City, Westchester and Hudson Valley.
New York has heavy equipment deployed on Long Island and water-rescue teams ready to go, Cuomo said.
A voluntary evacuation order is in place in Fire Island -- a barrier island off the southern shore of Long Island -- so residents and visitors can "leave for their own safety," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said in a Saturday afternoon tweet.
"I urge residents to check ferry service times and make plans to leave the barrier island today," Bellone wrote.
New York City Emergency Management issued a travel advisory for the city until further notice. All beaches in the city will close Sunday and Monday, according to city officials. Swimming and wading will not be permitted during those days.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee urged residents to prepare for the storm and announced he has signed an emergency declaration to unlock federal resources to support storm response.
The governor urged residents to use caution along shoreline areas due to anticipated rip currents and high surf.
"Rhode Island has often experienced needless tragedy during storms when wave watchers and anglers who have climbed onto rocks near the shore get hit by waves and quickly swept out to deep water and drowned," he said.
State beaches and parks will be open Saturday, according to the governor, but closed Sunday and likely Monday, depending on storm damage and required clean up.
Yes, I'm here. The home we live in is at a much higher elevation than the area that flooded. As a matter of fact my home has never been close to being in an area that floods. As of the last local news update I've seen, 21 are dead and 20 are still missing. The way the destruction looks it appears more that a tornado hit than a flood. It devastated the entire town of Waverly in Humphreys County. That town is well over an hour from where I live.
It's just heartbreaking to watch the news coverage of this tragic event.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Tropical Depression 9 forms, projected to hit Gulf Coast as hurricane By JOE MARIO PEDERSEN ORLANDO SENTINEL AUG 26, 2021 AT 1:51
The ninth tropical depression of the 2021 season formed Thursday morning in the west Caribbean Sea, although it is projected to become a hurricane in the next two days and target the U.S. Gulf Coast by Sunday.
A weather station in Kingston, Jamaica recorded Tropical Depression 9′s maximum sustained winds at 35 mph and that it’s moving northwest at 13 mph, the NHC said in its 2 p.m. update. The storm is 95 miles southwest of Negril, Jamaica.
It is gliding north of the Yucatan Peninsula, where it is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm Thursday night thanks to warm sea-surface temperatures between 82 and 83 degrees — the right warmth for tropical growth.
TD 9′s center is forecast to pass over the Cayman Islands Thursday night and then the Isle of Youth and Western Cuba on Friday. The system is forecast to approach the U.S. northern Gulf coast on Sunday.
TD 9 could bring could also bring a dangerous storm surge to Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle by Sunday and Monday.
However, because of the ideal tropical conditions the Gulf of Mexico offers, strong intensification into a major hurricane is possible before striking the United States, the NHC warned.
“Additional strengthening is likely over the Gulf of Mexico and the system could be near major hurricane strength when it approaches the northern Gulf coast,” according to the NHC.
Hurricane specialists predict the storm could have category 2 winds of 110 mph by Sunday.
The U.S. Air Force has a recon flight in route to see if the low has organized into a tropical storm.
The Cayman Islands has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. Cuba also issued a Tropical Storm Warning for the provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque, Havana, Artemisa, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth.
Meanwhile, the NHC is also monitoring an elongated broad trough of low pressure producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms about 600 miles east-southeast of Bermuda.
A tropical depression is likely to form this weekend as the system enters a favorable Atlantic zone. Meteorologists give the system a 50% chance of becoming a tropical depression or storm in the next two days and an 70% chance of doing so over the next five days. The storm is expected to speed up Sunday.
Also, a tropical wave midway between the Cabo Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles is booming with disorganized thunderstorms. Meteorologists are much more confident in the disturbance’s development into a tropical depression in the next two days.
The NHC gave it a 60% chance of development over the next two days and a 70% chance in the next five.
After Ida, the next two tropical storm names on the list are Julian and Kate.
Tropical Storm Ida Is Strengthening and Forecast To Slam Gulf Coast As A Major Hurricane Sunday
By weather.com meteorologistsless than an hour ago
Interests along the northern and western U.S. Gulf Coast should monitor this system closely.
Tropical Storm Ida is strengthening in the Caribbean Sea and is forecast to strike the northern U.S. Gulf Coast as a major hurricane this weekend with life-threatening storm surge and rainfall flooding, destructive winds and tornadoes.
A hurricane watch stretches from Cameron, Louisiana, to the Mississippi-Alabama state line, including the New Orleans metro area. Hurricane watches are typically issued 48 hours in advance of when tropical storm-force winds are expected to arrive since these conditions make it difficult to make preparations for a hurricane, once they begin.
A storm surge watch has also been issued from the Texas-Louisiana state line to the Alabama-Florida state line, including Vermilion Bay, Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and Mobile Bay. This means dangerous flooding from storm surge is possible within the next 48 hours.
Finally, a tropical storm watch has been issued near the Alabama coast, where tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours.
Tropical storm warnings continue for portions of the Cayman Islands and western Cuba, where tropical-storm-force winds (39+ mph) are possible through Friday.
Interests near the coast from Louisiana to Alabama should monitor Ida's progress closely and begin hurricane preparations. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says there is an increasing risk for hurricane-force winds, flooding rainfall and life-threatening storm surge Sunday and Monday, especially in Louisiana.
Current Status Tropical Storm Ida is located in the western Caribbean Sea, centered between Grand Cayman and western Cuba, moving northwest.
Bands of heavy rain continue to soak parts of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba.
Ida became the ninth named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season late Thursday afternoon while located between Grand Cayman and Jamaica, based on measurements by a U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter mission.
The NHC expects Ida to become a hurricane by the time it reaches the southern Gulf of Mexico Saturday.
An area of high pressure over the Southeast U.S. will be the large-scale steering wheel for the system, with its clockwise circulation sending it northwestward toward a landfall somewhere along the Louisiana or Mississippi coast Sunday.
Ida may undergo a period of rapid intensification as a hurricane when it tracks through the Gulf of Mexico this weekend. That's because Gulf of Mexico water temperatures are plenty warm, upper-level winds should be favorable and there's plenty of moist air available.
Therefore, Ida is currently expected to be at or near major hurricane strength when it approaches the northern Gulf Coast.
Ida could make landfall as a major hurricane on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfalls in southeast Louisiana and Mississippi on Aug. 29, 2005.
Four named storms, including three hurricanes (Laura, Delta and Zeta), made landfall in Louisiana in 2020.
Keep in mind that impacts will arrive before any landfall and that impacts could extend outside the forecast path shaded red in the map above.
Storm Surge The NHC is forecasting water levels to rise to 2 to 4 feet above normal tides as Ida passes through western Cuba in areas where winds blow onshore.
Along the Gulf Coast, the following storm surge inundations are possible if the peak surge happens at high tide.
-Morgan City, Louisiana, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, including Lake Borgne: 7 to 11 feet
-Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana to Morgan City, Louisiana, including Vermilion Bay: 4 to 7 feet
-Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Mississippi-Alabama border: 4 to 7 feet
-Alabama coast including Mobile Bay: 3 to 5 feet
-Lake Pontchartrain: 4 to 6 feet
-Lake Maurepas: 3 to 5 feet
-Texas-Louisiana border to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana: 2 to 4 feet
This peak surge will occur within an hour or two of Ida's landfall. However, some coastal flooding could also occur in areas of onshore flow as soon as early Sunday morning that may cut off escape routes from the coast.
The NHC also notes that overtopping of local levees outside of the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System is possible where local inundation values may be higher.
Tropical storm conditions could arrive along portions of the northern Gulf Coast as soon as Saturday night, which will make hurricane preparations difficult.
Damaging hurricane-force winds capable of downing trees, widespread power outages and some structural damage are possible in the hurricane watch areas possibly as early as Saturday night and continuing into Sunday, including the New Orleans metro area.
At least tropical storm-force winds are expected to punch into inland parts of Louisiana and Mississippi into Monday.
Bands of heavy rainfall up to 20 inches could also trigger dangerous flooding and landslides in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and western Cuba through Friday.
Along parts of the northern Gulf Coast, the NHC is forecasting 8 to 16 inches of rain, with isolated 20-inch totals Sunday into Monday, which could trigger flash flooding and river flooding that could linger for several days after the storm.
This flood threat will also likely penetrate inland into the Deep South and Tennessee Valley Monday and Tuesday. The NHC expects rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches across southern and central Mississippi.
High surf and rip currents will affect the northern Gulf Coast beginning Saturday night or early Sunday.
Forecast changes are likely over the next couple of days, so check back with us at weather.com for important forecast updates.
Now is a good time to ensure you have a hurricane plan in place in case this system becomes a growing threat where you live.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
I pray that all who are in its path will stay safe.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
New Orleans announces evacuations as Ida, now a hurricane, takes aim at Louisiana coast Doyle Rice Christal Hayes USA TODAY
The National Hurricane Center said the system will undergo "rapid intensification" and be "near major hurricane strength when it approaches the northern Gulf coast on Sunday." The storm is shaping up to be "probably be the strongest storm of the season thus far." Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency due to the potential impacts from Ida. Ida strengthened into a hurricane Friday afternoon as Gulf Coast states prepared for a direct hit from the storm, which forecasters warn could rapidly intensify into one of the strongest storms of the Atlantic hurricane season so far.
New Orleans issued its first evacuations for coastal communities outside the city's levee system that protects from flooding. The city's mayor, LaToya Cantrell, ordered those in coastal communities bordering both Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain — two large bodies of water that connect to the Gulf of Mexico — to leave immediately. Other coastal communities were placed under a voluntary evacuation order. "Now is the time," Cantrell said.
The incoming storm could provide a test for the city's new levee system, which was reconstructed after Hurricane Katrina and its failure in the 2005 storm that helped flood 80% of the city with areas under 6 to 20 feet of water.
Ida is forecast to hit the area Sunday — 16 years to the day that Katrina made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi as a catastrophic Category 3 storm. Nearly 2,000 people died during Katrina and damage was reportedly $125 billion, according to NOAA.
New Hurricane and storm surge watches were issued Friday morning for several Gulf Coast states. Forecasters say Ida could slam into Louisiana as a "devastating" Category 3 hurricane with winds up to 120 mph. “The forecast track has it headed straight towards New Orleans. Not good,” said Jim Kossin, a climate and hurricane scientist with the Climate Service.
The storm is shaping up to be "probably be the strongest storm of the season thus far,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said Thursday.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Thursday evening due to the potential impacts from Ida.
This RAMMB National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) satellite handout image shows Tropical Storm Ida on August 27. “Unfortunately, all of Louisiana’s coastline is currently in the forecast cone for Tropical Storm Ida, which is strengthening and could come ashore in Louisiana as a major hurricane as Gulf conditions are conducive for rapid intensification," Edwards said. "Now is the time for people to finalize their emergency game plan, which should take into account the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
Small towns on the Gulf of Mexico coast have already started telling residents to flee and New Orleans is giving away free sandbags so residents can bolster their homes, Bloomberg News said.
When the system reaches the northern Gulf Coast on Sunday, the Hurricane Center predicts it will be "at or near major hurricane intensity."
The Hurricane Center defines "major hurricanes" as Category 3 or higher. Category 3 storms have winds of 111-129 mph and "devastating damage will occur" with storms of that strength.
The National Weather Service is Tropical Storm Ida, expected to soon become powerful Hurricane Ida. On its current track, the storm could cause as much as $25 billion in damage and losses, Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler with Enki Research, told Bloomberg.
Dangerous storm surge was also possible along the Gulf Coast. If it pushes a storm surge at high tide, Ida could overlap some levees, with 7 to 11 feet of water predicted from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
“There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds, and heavy rainfall Sunday and Monday, especially along the coast of Louisiana,” the hurricane center said.
Ida is also expected to produce heavy rains across the central Gulf Coast from southeast Louisiana to coastal Mississippi, Alabama, as well as the Lower Mississippi Valley starting Sunday into Monday, resulting in considerable flash, urban, small stream, and river flooding.
As of 2 p.m. EDT Friday, the storm had made landfall on Cuba's Isle of Youth, a small island about 30 miles south of Cuba's mainland. Ida was located about 145 miles east-of the western tip of Cuba and was moving northwest at about 15 mph with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. Hurricane warnings remained in place for western Cuba.
After its impact with Cuba, the storm is projected to slice across the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where rapid intensification is possible, as has been the case with several notorious storms in recent years such as Hurricane Michael in 2018, which struck the Florida Panhandle, and Hurricane Laura in 2020, which slammed southwestern Louisiana, AccuWeather said.
Hurricane Ida Expected to Rapidly Intensify Ahead of Louisiana Landfall
By weather.com meteorologistsless than an hour ago
Hurricane Ida is forecast to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane as it draws closer to the northern Gulf Coast this weekend, where it will bring life-threatening storm surge, dangerous rainfall flooding, potentially catastrophic winds and tornadoes.
Ida is currently centered 400 miles southeast of New Orleans and is tracking northwest at just over 16 mph. Maximum sustained winds are 85 mph, making Ida a Category 1 hurricane.
Interests along the northern Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Alabama should monitor Ida's progress closely and finish hurricane preparations on Saturday. Follow the advice of local officials if you are ordered to evacuate.
A hurricane warning is posted from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, eastward to the mouth of the Pearl River, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and the New Orleans metro area. Tropical-storm-force winds are forecast to arrive in parts of this region late tonight into early Sunday, with hurricane conditions developing Sunday and Sunday night.
A tropical storm warning is posted from Cameron, Louisiana east to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, and from the Pearl River in Louisiana to the Alabama/Florida border. Tropical storm warnings are also in effect for inland southern Mississippi. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin here tonight or early Sunday.
Finally, a tropical storm watch has been issued for inland portions of Mississippi and Louisiana, where tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours.
A storm surge warning has been issued from the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana, to the Mississippi/Alabama border including Vermilion Bay, Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, and Lake Maurepas. This means life-threatening inundation from storm surge is expected in these areas within 36 hours.
A storm surge watch is also in effect for Mobile Bay. This means dangerous flooding from storm surge is possible within the next 48 hours.
An area of high pressure over the Southeast U.S. will be the large-scale steering wheel for Ida, with its clockwise circulation sending it northwestward toward a landfall along the Louisiana coast late Sunday into early Monday. Keep in mind that impacts will arrive on Sunday before landfall occurs and that impacts will extend outside the forecast path shaded red in the map below.
Hurricane Ida is expected to intensify in the Gulf of Mexico, likely rapidly, as it moves northwestward. That's because Gulf of Mexico water temperatures are plenty warm and upper-level winds are favorable.
Therefore, Ida is currently expected to be at major hurricane strength, possibly even Category 4 intensity, when it approaches the northern Gulf Coast Sunday.
Ida could make landfall as a major hurricane on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfalls in southeast Louisiana and Mississippi on Aug. 29, 2005.
Four named storms, including three hurricanes (Laura, Delta and Zeta), made landfall in Louisiana in 2020.
Life-threatening storm surge is forecast near and east of where Ida makes landfall. Follow all evacuation orders from local officials if you are in an area vulnerable to storm surge.
The following storm surge inundations are possible if the peak surge happens at high tide, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). High tide is generally in the early morning hours of Sunday and Monday for many locations along the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi.
-Morgan City, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Mississippi River: 10 to 15 feet
-The mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, including Lake Borgne: 7 to 11 feet
-Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to Morgan City, Louisiana, including Vermilion Bay: 6 to 9 feet
-Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Mississippi-Alabama border: 4 to 7 feet
-Lake Pontchartrain: 4 to 7 feet
-Lake Maurepas: 3 to 5 feet
-Pecan Island, Louisiana, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana: 3 to 5 feet
-Mississippi/Alabama border to Alabama/Florida border, including Mobile Bay: 2 to 4 feet
-Sabine Pass to Pecan Island, Louisiana: 1 to 3 feet
This peak surge will occur within an hour or two of Ida's landfall. However, some coastal flooding could also occur in areas of onshore flow as soon as early Sunday morning that may cut off escape routes from the coast.
The NHC also notes that overtopping of local levees outside of the hurricane and storm damage risk reduction system is possible where local inundation values may be higher.
Tropical storm conditions could arrive in the hurricane warning area as soon as late tonight, which will make hurricane preparations dangerous. Hurricane conditions should develop during the day Sunday into Sunday night.
The NHC said wind damage could be "potentially catastrophic" near where the core of Ida makes landfall in Louisiana.
Downed trees, widespread power outages and some structural damage are possible in the hurricane warning areas.
At least tropical-storm-force winds are expected to punch into inland parts of Louisiana and Mississippi through Monday.
Widespread flash flooding, particularly where bands of rain stall for a period of a few hours, is expected along the path of Ida. Heavy rain will also lead to river flooding that could linger for several days after the storm.
At least a local flash flood threat will also penetrate inland into the Deep South and Tennessee Valley Monday and Tuesday.
NOAA's Weather Prediction Center is forecasting the following rainfall totals:
-Southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi: 8 to 16 inches with isolated 20-inch totals through Monday.
-Northeast Louisiana to central Mississippi and the Tennessee Valley: 4 to 8 inches.
Flood watches have been issued by the National Weather Service for this dangerous heavy rainfall threat from the eastern half of Louisiana into parts of southeast Arkansas, Mississippi, southwest Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.
High surf and rip currents will affect the northern Gulf Coast beginning Saturday night or early Sunday.
Isolated tornadoes are frequently a concern with landfalling tropical cyclones.
Some rotating cells in Ida's rainbands may spawn tornadoes not only near coast as it heads toward land Sunday, but also inland over the South Monday into Tuesday.
As a reminder, Tropical Storm Fred spawned 29 tornadoes from the South to the Northeast over a week ago.
Forecast changes are likely over the next couple of days, so check back with us at weather.com for important forecast updates.
Now is a good time to ensure you have a hurricane plan in place in case this system becomes a growing threat where you live.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
Expected Cat 4 when it hits the US. Stay safe all.
Ida strengthens into Category 2 hurricane: Latest forecast Landfall is expected on Sunday.
ByEmily Shapiro,Max Golembo,Melissa Griffin,Dan Peck,Meredith Deliso,Daniel Manzo andMarlene Lenthang August 28, 2021, 3:13 PM ET
Ida strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane Saturday afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph.
The storm is forecast to intensify and become a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds before landfall in Louisiana late Sunday.
Currently, Ida is moving northwest at 16 mph and its center is located about 290 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana.
The National Hurricane Center issued a warning Saturday that "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion today" for areas under a hurricane warning.
"Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the coast of Louisiana. Hurricane-force winds are expected Sunday in portions of the Hurricane Warning area along the Louisiana coast, including metropolitan New Orleans," NHC said in its latest update.
Satellite imagery is now showing a well-defined eye in the center of Hurricane Ida. Rapid strengthening is expected today and Ida will be a major Category 4 hurricane in less than 24 hours.
The latest forecast track has Ida coming ashore in southeast Louisiana on Sunday late afternoon / early evening as Category 4 Hurricane with 130 MPH winds. ABC
The latest forecast track has Ida coming ashore in southeast Louisiana on Sunday late afternoon/early evening as a Category 4 Hurricane.
Ida turn into a tropical storm nearing the border of Mississippi by Monday morning.
On Saturday morning Ida crossed over western Cuba and entered the southern Gulf of Mexico, where it is expected to begin rapid intensification as it careens toward the Louisiana coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell warned in a press conference Saturday, "If you’re going to leave, you need to do that now" or shelter in place.
She told locals to brace for damaging wind, heavy rain and tornadoes, saying, “I’m told that the storm in no way will be weakening."
Collin Arnold, the city’s emergency preparedness director, urged people to be ready to shelter in place by midnight tonight if they intend to stay and ride out the storm and that extended power loss “is almost certain.”
At least 260 National Guard members will be on the ground in New Orleans by this evening, Lt. Col. Kenneth Baillie said Saturday.
Officials warned that Louisiana is much more prepared for Ida than it was for Katrina in 2005. Cantrell said she is “very confident” in a levee protection system that wasn’t in place back then.
Mandatory evacuations, for areas outside the levees, were ordered south of New Orleans, effective 3 p.m. local time Friday. In the rest of the parish, evacuations are voluntary.
"We're not calling for a mandatory evacuation, because the time simply is not on our side," Cantrell said Friday. "We do not want to have people on the road, and therefore in greater danger, because of the lack of time."
Ahead of Hurricane Ida’s anticipated landfall, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for the state's coastal and western counties on Saturday, effective 2 p.m. local time.
“We still expect the possibility of flooding and even spin-off tornadoes in portions of Alabama. With a storm like this, we always want to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, which is why I have preemptively declared a state of emergency for our coastal and western counties,” Ivey said in a statement.
Ida is forecast to reach major hurricane status and close in on the Louisiana coastline Sunday morning, making landfall between 5 and 11 p.m. By early Monday morning, Ida will rapidly weaken and move inland; however, much of Louisiana will still experience strong winds.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said people who are evacuating should get to their destinations by Saturday evening.
"This could be a life-altering storm if you're not prepared," Edwards said at a Friday press conference.
"We need to take this storm very seriously. Now is not the time for jokes, for playing around," Cantrell said. "We need to take it seriously, we need to reach out to our neighbors, our family members and our friends."
Storm surge could reach 15 feet along parts of the Louisiana/Mississippi coastline and 6 feet on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans.
Satellite Imagery is now showing a well-defined eye in the center of Hurricane Ida. Rapid strengthening is expected today and Hurricane Ida will be a major category 4 Hurricane in less than 24 Hours. ABC News
A storm surge watch is in effect along parts of the northern Gulf Coast, from Sabine Pass, Louisiana, through New Orleans to the Alabama-Florida border.
The dangerous storm surge will be exacerbated by extreme rainfall. Much of Louisiana and Mississippi could get 6 inches of rain, while parts of southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi could get 10 to 20 inches. Flash flooding is also possible through early next week.
Some COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites are closing early Friday due to the storm, the Louisiana Department of Health said.
The high number of COVID-19 patients in Louisiana also means the state will not be able to evacuate hospitals, the governor said. Cantrell also said New Orleans hospitals were not being evacuated at this time.
"We've been talking to hospitals about making all the preparations possible to make sure that their generators are working, that they have way more water on hand than normal," Edwards said.
Health officials are asking people to avoid emergency departments throughout the storm if possible.
Hurricane Ida still has winds of 85 MPH, a Category 1 Hurricane. The storm is 350 miles South-Southeast of of the mouth of the MIssissippi River. Ida is also 435 miles Southeast of Houma, Louisiana. Hurricane Ida is moving northwest at 16 MPH.
Ida should weaken to a tropical storm by Monday, but it's forecast to move inland across Louisiana, with more potentially devastating downpours. About 20 inches of rain are expected, which means extreme floods are possible.
President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Louisiana.
Biden is "closely tracking" the developments and will host a call with the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator and governors of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi to discuss preparations, press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.
The administration, Psaki added, also is working to free up hospital beds and pre-position resources, in addition to sending a search-response team, 50 FEMA paramedics and 47 FEMA ambulances to assist with care.
ABC News' Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
'Time is not on our side.' Gulf Coast braces for Sunday arrival of Hurricane Ida, potentially a Category 4 storm By Aya Elamroussi, Haley Brink, Ray Sanchez and Alaa Elassar, CNN Updated 7:30 PM EDT, Sat August 28, 2021
Editor's Note: (Are you affected by Hurricane Ida? Text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN at +1 347-322-0415)
(CNN)Hurricane Ida is expected to rapidly strengthen before pummeling Louisiana on Sunday, forcing evacuations in New Orleans and the surrounding coastal region on the eve of the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
On Saturday, Ida was moving away from Cuba and into the Gulf of Mexico, where it is expected to intensify over the next 24 to 36 hours prior to landfall across the Louisiana coast on Sunday afternoon or evening. Recent satellite imagery showed the storm has already strengthened.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Saturday warned residents planning to voluntarily evacuate -- which she recommended -- to get out now.
"Time is not on our side. It's just rapidly growing. It's intensifying," the mayor said at a news conference, referring to Ida. "If you're voluntarily evacuating our city, now is the time to leave -- you need to do so immediately. If you're planning to ride it out, again, make sure that you're able to hunker down."
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Ida "will be one of the strongest hurricanes that hit anywhere in Louisiana since at least the 1850s."
"This is a very large storm," Edwards told reporters Saturday, noting that the hurricane could span about 150 miles east and west from the storm's center.
"I don't want folks who are further inland to be caught off guard."
Over 4,000 soldiers and airmen with the Louisiana National Guard are currently mobilized and another 5,000 will be prepared by the time the storm makes landfall, Edwards told CNN Saturday afternoon.
"You just have a few more hours really to prepare," Edwards said.
"Where you go to bed tonight, you need to be prepared to ride out the storm and the storm is going to be very severe," he told those who are not evacuating.
'An extremely dangerous major hurricane' Ida is anticipated to reach at least Category 4 strength before landfall, the National Hurricane Center said, maintaining its earlier forecast. Tropical storm-force winds could reach New Orleans about 8 a.m. Sunday before the storm makes landfall that afternoon or evening west of New Orleans, near Houma and Morgan City. Late Saturday afternoon, meteorologists at the center said the storm appears to have begun its intensification phase.
"Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Sunday," National Hurricane Center forecasters said Saturday morning. At 2 p.m. ET, the storm had strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph.
Officials throughout the state implored people to evacuate, with some issuing mandatory orders to do so. News footage from the area showed traffic backed up heading out of New Orleans.
Collin Arnold, director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, urged people to stock up on enough food and water for at least three days -- and to be either on the road or home by midnight.
"We say the first 72 (hours) is on you," Arnold added. "The first three days of this will be difficult for responders to get to you."
In text alerts Saturday, New Orleans officials urged residents to "leave by this morning if you can."
State officials also texted residents: "Get ready for Ida."
"Louisianans have until nightfall," the text warned, adding that Ida will "bring serious impacts across the state."
Cantrell issued a mandatory evacuation of all city areas that are outside its flood protection system, and urged other residents to evacuate voluntarily or shelter in place.
"The city cannot issue a mandatory evacuation because we don't have the time," Cantrell said Friday at a news conference, speaking about areas inside the levee system. "We do not want to have people on the road, and therefore, in greater danger because of the lack of time."
A dangerous storm surge of 10 to 15 feet is expected from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Mississippi River on Sunday as Ida makes landfall, the NHC said.
The storm surge, coupled with winds as strong as 150 mph, could leave some parts of southeast Louisiana "uninhabitable for weeks or months," according the to the latest hurricane statement from the National Weather Service in New Orleans.
The statement warned of "structural damage to buildings, with many washing away" as well as winds that could bring "widespread power and communication outages." Flooding rains could cause "numerous road and bridge closures with some weakened or washed out" along with "some structures becoming uninhabitable or washed away."
Hurricane conditions are likely in areas along the northern Gulf Coast beginning Sunday, with tropical storm conditions expected to begin by late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. These conditions will spread inland over portions of Louisiana and Mississippi Sunday night and Monday.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency on Saturday.
Rainfall can amount to 8 to 16 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 20 inches possible across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi through Monday-- which will likely lead to significant flash and river flooding impacts.
A hurricane warning remains in effect from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Pearl River and includes Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and New Orleans.
In Louisiana, a tropical storm warning was in effect from Cameron to west of Intracoastal City and the mouth of the Pearl River to the Mississippi-Alabama border. Tropical storm warnings and watches are also issued stretching east to the Alabama-Florida border.
The storm has already idled about 90% of the oil production 84% of gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for parts of at least seven Louisiana parishes as well as the towns of Grande Isle, Jean Lafitte and Port Fourchon. Voluntary evacuations were issued in six parishes.
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng urged residents in low-lying areas to immediately evacuate before Hurricane Ida hits, as the expected storm surge is "unsurvivable."
"I want to reiterate the storm surge that we are expecting is unsurvivable," she said, adding that the storm is expected to linger over the area. "We need you to leave immediately."
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said if people want to leave, they should go now, but once the storm starts, they need to stay off the roads to protect first responders.
Anyone who cannot live without power for days or possibly weeks due to a medical condition should evacuate now before the storm starts, Sarah Babcock, the chief administrative assistant for Jefferson Parish, said.
New Orleans is anticipating impacts from damaging winds of up to 110 mph, according to Arnold.
"If you are going to evacuate, you know that's a responsibility that you take on -- do so as soon as possible," he said. "You do not want to be stuck on the road, when the storms impacts arise."
If Ida makes landfall in Louisiana, it would be the fourth hurricane to do so since last August and Louisiana's third major hurricane landfall in that span.
Sunday, which is the forecast landfall day, is also the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a devastating Category 3 storm with winds near 127 mph that caused severe flooding to cities along the Gulf Coast, from New Orleans to Biloxi, Mississippi. More than 1,800 people were killed in the Gulf region directly or indirectly from the storm and in the days after, according to a NOAA report.
"August 29 is an important date in history here," Collins told CNN Saturday. "A lot of people remember what happened 16 years ago. It's time to hunker down tonight and be where you need to be."
In Washington, an administration official told CNN that President Joe Biden is "being briefed regularly on the storm's trajectory." Biden spoke with the governors of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi on Friday.
At a briefing Saturday with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Biden urged those in the path of Hurricane Ida "to pay attention and be prepared."
"This weekend is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and it's a stark reminder that we have to do everything we can to prepare the people in the region to make sure we're ready to respond," Biden said.
Ida raises health concerns amid Covid-19 pandemic Hospitals in New Orleans will not evacuate and instead shelter in place while Ida makes its way through the region, the city's health department director Dr. Jennifer Avegno said.
Capacity at nearby hospitals in Texas and Florida is "extremely limited," Avegno said, as Covid-19 hospitalizations are on the rise. She added that the city's hospitals are familiar with plans during storm season.
"I would ask our residents, if you do not need to go to the hospital this weekend, if you do not have a life-threatening emergency, please do not go," Avegno said. "This is not the time to go to the hospital for a routine thing that could wait until later."
Meanwhile, Louisiana had no plans Friday to separate vaccinated and unvaccinated people in shelters in state assisted emergency facilities during Ida, according to Mike Steele, a spokesperson for the state Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Steele noted that municipalities issue evacuation orders, and those operations start at the local level. He added that masks are required at all shelters in the state along with social distancing.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards expressed concern about sheltering while Covid-19 are on the rise in the state.
"The prospect of sheltering potentially thousands and thousands of people at the height of the fourth surge is very, very daunting," he said during a news conference about hurricane recovery efforts.
The governor acknowledged the challenge of bracing for a potential hurricane in the midst of recovery efforts from the 2020 hurricane season.
"We're not recovered. Not by a long shot," the governor said of Hurricanes Laura and Delta impacts last year. "We still have businesses boarded up from the last (hurricane.) Homes have not yet been repaired and reoccupied. Or if they are damaged to the point where they need to be demolished and removed, in many cases that hasn't happened either."
Edwards said there are currently 2,450 people hospitalized with Covid-19, more than "at any point before this current surge."
"We had four hurricanes last year during Covid, but we had a small fraction of the number of people in our hospitals that we currently have," Edwards told CNN Saturday. "When Hurricane Laura hit last year, we only had about 300 in the hospitals."
Evacuating hospitals is not an option because there is "no excess capacity anywhere else in the state or outside the state," he said.
Officials are concerned not only that hospitals could face prolonged power outages, but also worry about what capacity they would have for those who might be injured during the hurricane, according to Edwards.
Ida made two landfalls in Cuba Friday Before entering the Gulf, Ida made landfall twice over Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane.
First forming as a tropical storm in the Caribbean on Thursday, Ida hit Cuba's Isla de la Juventud, or Isle of Youth, on Friday afternoon, the US National Hurricane Center said.
A second landfall occurred in western Cuba around 20 miles (30 km) east of La Coloma, according to satellite images, radar data and NOAA Hurricane Hunter data.
More than 4 inches of rain were recorded in Pinar del Rio, according to the Cuban Meteorological Institute. Jagüey Grande Matanzas experienced around 2.4 inches of rain and the Isle of Youth had 1.89 inches, the institute said. Havana recorded 0.94 inches.
Isolated instances of 5 to 15 inches of rain in some parts of western Cuba are expected, according to hurricane center forecasters.
"These rainfall amounts may produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the hurricane center said. Swells generated by Ida are expected to affect the western part of the island through Saturday morning.
CNN's Chris Boyette, Gene Norman, Melissa Alonso, Gregory Lemos, Jason Hanna, Paul P. Murphy, Rebekah Riess, Dave Alsup and Travis Caldwell contributed to this report.
Hurricane Ida blasts ashore in Louisiana with major force By KEVIN MCGILL and JAY REEVES 21 minutes ago
A news crew reports on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain ahead of approaching Hurricane Ida in New Orleans, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida blasted ashore along the Louisiana coast on Sunday, with the eye of one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S. arriving near the barrier island of Grand Isle.
The powerful Category 4 storm made landfall on the same date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of where Category 3 Katrina first struck land.
Arriving with a barometric pressure of 930 millibars, Ida preliminarily goes down as tied for the fifth strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States based on wind speed. Based on central pressure it is tied for 9th strongest U.S. landfall.
Ida rapidly intensified overnight as it moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico, its top winds grew by 45 mph (72 kph) to 150 mph (230 kph) in five hours.
Hurricane force winds started to strike Grand Isle on Sunday morning. Before power was lost on the Louisiana barrier island, a beachfront web camera showed the ocean steadily rising as growing waves churned and palm trees whipped. More than 100,000 customers had lost power in Louisiana by noon and were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.US, which tracks outages nationwide.
Wind tore at awnings and water began spilling out of Lake Ponchartrain in New Orleans. Officials there said Ida’s swift intensification from a few thunderstorms to massive hurricane over three days left no time to organize a mandatory evacuation of its 390,000 residents.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents to leave voluntarily. Those who stayed were warned to prepare for long power outages amid sweltering heat.
Nick Mosca was walking his dog, like most of those who were out Sunday morning. “I’d like to be better prepared. There’s a few things I’m thinking we could have done. But this storm came pretty quick, so you only have the time you have,” Mosca said.
Cars were parked on the median Sunday in New Orleans, which is a few feet higher and can protect against potential flooding. Most businesses were closed, but Breads on Oak, located three blocks from the Mississippi River levee, was open and offering two-for-one deals to get as much of their baked goods sold as possible.
“Everybody’s like, ‘Oooh, we need our hurricane pastries,’” co-owner Chamain O’Mahony said. “So everyone’s coming out for hurricane food — biscuits and a lot of cinnamon rolls and brioche. You want treats. And you want bread.”
Once conditions got too rough or the inventory ran out, O’Mahony and her husband planned to ride out the storm in an apartment they usually rent attached to the bakery.
In Port Fourchon, boats and helicopters gathered to take workers and supplies to oil platforms in the ocean and the oil extracted starts it journey toward refineries. The port handles about a fifth of the nation’s domestic oil and gas, officials said.
Along with the oil industry, Ida threatened a region already reeling from a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, due to low vaccination rates and the highly contagious delta variant. More than 2 million people live around New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the wetlands to the south.
New Orleans hospitals planned to ride out the storm with their beds nearly full, as similarly stressed hospitals elsewhere had little room for evacuated patients. And shelters for those fleeing their homes carried an added risk of becoming flashpoints for new infections.
Forecasters warned winds stronger than 115 mph (185 kph) were expected soon in Houma, a city of 33,000 that supports oil platforms in the Gulf and Gulfport, Mississippi, to the east of New Orleans was seeing the ocean rise and heavy rains bands.
Gov. John Bel Edwards vowed Louisiana’s “resilient and tough people” would weather the storm.
Edwards said Louisiana officials were working to find hotel rooms for evacuees so that fewer had to stay in mass shelters. He noted that during last year’s hurricane season, Louisiana found rooms for 20,000 people.
President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi ahead of Ida’s arrival.
Comparisons to the Aug. 29, 2005, landfall of Katrina weighed heavily on residents bracing for Ida. A Category 3 storm, Katrina was blamed for 1,800 deaths as it caused levee breaches and catastrophic flooding in New Orleans and demolished oceanfront homes in Mississippi. Ida’s hurricane force winds stretched less than 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the storm’s eye, or less than half the size of Katrina.
Officials stressed that the levee and drainage systems protecting New Orleans had been much improved since Katrina. But they cautioned flooding was still possible, with up to 24 inches (61 centimeters) of rain forecast in some areas.
“Ida will most definitely be stronger than Katrina, and by a pretty big margin,” said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. “And, the worst of the storm will pass over New Orleans and Baton Rouge, which got the weaker side of Katrina.”
Hurricane Ida nearly doubled in strength, going from an 85 mph storm to a 150 mph storm in just 24 hours, which meteorologists called “explosive intensification.”
“Yikes! Ida leaves me stunned,” said Jeff Masters, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunter meteorologist and founder of Weather Underground.
He warned the region could face devastation to its infrastructure, which includes petrochemical sites and major ports. The state’s 17 oil refineries account for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. refining capacity and its two liquefied natural gas export terminals ship about 55% of the nation’s total exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Louisiana is also home to two nuclear power plants, one near New Orleans and another about 27 miles (about 43 kilometers) northwest of Baton Rouge.
The Interstate 10 corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is a critical hub of the nation’s petrochemical industry, lined with oil refineries, natural gas terminals and chemical manufacturing plants. Entergy, Louisiana’s major electricity provider, operates two nuclear power plants along the Mississippi River.
Reeves reported from Gulfport, Mississippi. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana, Stacey Plaisance and Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland; Frank Bajak in Boston; Michael Biesecker in Washington; Pamela Sampson in Atlanta; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
This certainly is going to be the worse we've seen since Katrina. Maybe even worse than Katrina. I just can't make sense of those who say they're "just going to ride it out".
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I don’t think it’s as wide as Katrina, which was a big issue in 2005. But this is a catastrophic storm. Hoping the damage is limited
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
Tropical Storm Larry strengthening quickly, expected to become a hurricane overnight Updated: 7:14 PM EDT Sep 1, 2021 Chelsea Robinson
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Larry is strengthening quickly and is expected to become a hurricane overnight into Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of 4:30 p.m. ET, the storm was churning about 370 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.
Larry was moving west at 22 mph and this direction is expected to continue through Thursday. Thursday night and Friday, the storm is expected to make a gradual turn west-northwest and decrease in speed.
"Steady to rapid strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Larry is expected to become a hurricane tonight and a major hurricane by Friday," the NHC said.
There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
There was a hilarious tweet from Kendrick Lamar about hurricane names. Profane and politically incorrect so I can't post it. Just google up Hurricane Death Megatron 3000.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
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