Tropical Storm Ida prompts hurricane watch for New Orleans

Tropical Storm Ida is expected to hit Louisiana’s coastline Sunday or Monday after the massive storm formed in the Caribbean, NPR reported.

Ida was forecasted to hit Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane this weekend, with The National Hurricane Center issuing a Tropical Storm Watch for the borders of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. 

“Now is the time for Louisianans to prepare for impacts from Tropical Storm Ida, which is expected to become a major hurricane,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) tweeted Thursday. 

Now is the time for Louisianans to prepare for impacts from Tropical Storm Ida, which is expected to become a major hurricane. Louisiana is likely to start feeling effects this weekend, so get your game plan in place, monitor local news & heed local officials. #lagov #lawx pic.twitter.com/suNGIohqaJ

— John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) August 27, 2021

The storm is expected to bring 8 to 12 inches of rainfall, with some areas getting up to 15 inches, the National Hurricane Center said, according to NPR.

Ida is the state’s most serious weather threat of the 2021 hurricane season, NPR noted.

Bel Edwards added that while the storm might not look dangerous now, it will intensify as it hits the coast. 

“What you’re gonna see … in all likelihood is rapid intensification,” he said. “So if you just look out there right now, and you assess the storm as it is, you may not be impressed. Understand that the hurricane center and the meteorologists are very concerned about its storm.”