ORLANDO, Fla. — Ida grew into a Category 1 hurricane Friday afternoon as it made landfall along Cuba’s Isle of Youth, the National Hurricane Center said. It is expected to become a major storm by Sunday afternoon before hitting the U.S. Gulf Coast with 140 mph winds and 165 mph gusts.
Storm surge, hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been issued for the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts. For now, projections have Ida making landfall in Louisiana, the NHC said.
If that forecast holds true, Ida would hit 16 years to the day since Hurricane Katrina landed as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph (201 kph) winds near the riverside community of Buras in Plaquemines Parish, just down the Mississippi from New Orleans, according to The Associated Press.
