Hurricane Ida is currently strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to come onshore in Louisiana on Sunday or Monday as a major hurricane and will cause catastrophic damage to eastern LA with winds of up to 140 mph and storm surge up to 11 feet in some locations. It will also bring a lot of rain to the area along and to the right of the path. The strong high pressure that has kept Ida west of most of the Southeast will keep most of that rain out of our area, but if the path shifts east, rain chances and amounts will increase. As of today, western Alabama, the mountains, and Virginia have the highest forecast rain amounts. Louisiana could see more than 15 inches in some places, while in the Southeast the highest amounts are like to be 4-5 inches in southern AL and far western FL.
