Dove: “We must ask residents to evacuate for their safety”
August 27, 2021
No changes to Ida’s forecast overnight
August 28, 2021
Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches Louisiana. It still has Terrebonne Parish right in its crosshairs. Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes are both under mandatory evacuations orders.
At 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Ida was located near latitude 23.0 North, longitude 84.0 West. Ida is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h) and this general motion should continue until Ida reaches the northern Gulf coast on Sunday. A slower northward motion is forecast after Ida moves inland. On the forecast track, the center of Ida will move over the southeastern and central Gulf of Mexico during the next day or two and make landfall along the U.S. northern Gulf coast within the hurricane warning area by late Sunday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph (130 km/h) with higher gusts. Rapid strengthening is forecast during the next day or two, and Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it approaches the northern Gulf coast on Sunday.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 km). The estimated minimum central pressure based on data from the Air Force Hurricane Hunters is 989 mb (29.21 inches).
