Ida: landfall tonight; tropical storm warning from Louisiana to Florida.

GOES enhanced visible wavelength satellite image; credit: NOAA

TROPICAL STORM IDA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 24A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112009
600 PM CST MON NOV 09 2009

…IDA CONTINUES NORTHWARD…SHOULD MAKE LANDFALL OVERNIGHT…

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA
EASTWARD TO THE AUCILLA RIVER FLORIDA…INCLUDING NEW ORLEANS AND
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS…PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY
YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.

Image credit: NOAA

AT 600 PM CST…0000 UTC…THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM IDA WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.9 NORTH…LONGITUDE 88.5 WEST OR ABOUT
40 MILES…60 KM…EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER AND ABOUT 125 MILES…200 KM…SOUTH OF MOBILE ALABAMA.

IDA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 17 MPH…28 KM/HR. A REDUCTION
IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. ON THE FORECAST TRACK…
THE CENTER OF IDA SHOULD REACH THE NORTHERN GULF COAST TONIGHT.
AFTER LANDFALL…IDA IS EXPECTED TO TURN EASTWARD ON TUESDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MPH…110 KM/HR…WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. WEAKENING IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING AS IDA MOVES OVER COOLER
WATERS PRIOR TO MAKING LANDFALL…AND IS EXPECTED TO MERGE WITH A
FRONTAL ZONE ON WEDNESDAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES…325 KM
FROM THE CENTER.

WITHIN THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS AN OBSERVING SITE NEAR THE MOUTH OF
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT AN ELEVATION OF 79 FEET MEASURED SUSTAINED
WINDS OF 60 MPH WITH A GUST TO 74 MPH.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE
HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT WAS 993 MB…29.32 INCHES.

RAINS FROM IDA ARE ALREADY MOVING ACROSS THE COAST WITHIN THE
WARNING AREA. TOTAL STORM ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES…WITH
ISOLATED MAXIMUM STORM TOTALS OF 8 INCHES…ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH
WEDNESDAY EVENING FROM THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN GULF COAST ACROSS THE
SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES INTO THE SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC STATES.

A DANGEROUS STORM TIDE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS
3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL ALONG THE COAST NEAR AND TO THE
EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL…AS WELL AS IN AREAS OF
ONSHORE FLOW IN SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA. NEAR THE COAST…THE SURGE
WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES.

…SUMMARY OF 600 PM CST INFORMATION…
LOCATION…28.9N 88.5W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…70 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NORTH OR 360 DEGREES AT 17 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…993 MB

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT
900 PM CST.

GOES infrared satellite image; credit: NOAA

FORECASTER BROWN/BERG

- courtesy of NOAA National Hurricane Center