NWS meteorologist calls Ida 'life altering' and warns of rapid intensification

Hurricane Ida is expected to make landfall Sunday afternoon or evening in the St. Mary-Terrebonne area, probably as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds near 140 mph and gusts of 170 mph, the meteorologist in charge at the Slidell National Weather Service said at a press conference Friday.

"This is stronger than Laura was last year," said meteorologist Ben Schott. "This will be a life-altering storm for those who are not prepared for what Ida will throw at us this weekend."

Hurricane Laura, which struck the Cameron-Calcasieu area a year to the day before Schott spoke at Gov. John Bel Edwards' press conference Friday, caused widespread damage and was called the strongest storm to hit Louisiana since the 19th century.

Hurricane Ida's wind will carve a wide path of downed trees and cause widespread power outages, Schott said. But wind isn't the only threat.

A storm surge of 10 to 15 feet is possible from Morgan City east, and 6 to 9 feet to the west, Scott said.

In a 10:30 p.m. livestream, NWS meteorologist Donald Jones said Morgan City may not see much storm surge if the forecast track proves true. If the track shifts west, a surge of 1 to 6 feet is possible. The NWS forecast for the Atchafalaya River stage at Morgan City is a crest of 6.5 feet, half a foot over the minor flood stage, sometime Sunday.

St. Mary Parish President David Hanagriff issued a mandatory evacuation order Friday afternoon for St. Mary south of the Intracoastal Waterway, including Burns Point and Cypremort Point, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. A voluntary evacuation is in place beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.

And, while Ida has been viewed largely as a wind event rather than a rain even based on earlier forecast, Schott said areas of southeast Louisiana will see 10 to 15 inches of rain, with up to 20 inches possible in isolated areas.

In the livestream, Jones said sustained winds of 80-90 mph with gusts to 100 mph are likely in St. Mary.

Ida is moving faster, 15 mph, and intensifying more rapidly than forecast, but confidence in the track forecast is high, Schott said.

"By nightfall [Saturday],' Edwards said, "you want to be where you're going to weather the storm."

About 1,600 Louisiana National Guard troops are on duty for the storm and for their continuing work on COVID-1, the governor said. He has authorized the activation of all 5,000 Guard troops.

Edwards said President Joe Biden has approved Louisiana's request for a federal disaster declaration that can provide help with the state government's storm preparation and recovery.