Tropical Storm Ida, 4p.m. Update

Tropical Storm Ida continues to weaken, and heavy rainfall is still the primary concern.

At 4p.m., the center of Tropical Storm Ida was located near Latitude 13.3 North and Longitude 83.7 West or about 50 miles south-southwest of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, and about 90 miles north of Bluefields, Nicaragua.

Ida is moving toward the north-northwest near 3mph, and a turn toward the north at a slightly faster forward speed is expected tonight or Friday.  On the forecast track, the center of Ida will move across northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras during the next day or so.  The tropical cyclone is forecast to emerge over the northwestern Caribbean Sea early Saturday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 60mph with higher gusts.  Additional weakening is expected and Ida is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression on Friday.  Some restrengthening is possible after Ida emerges over the northwestern Caribbean Sea on Saturday.

Maximum rainfall accumulations of 15 to 20 inches are possible over regions of elevated terrain in Honduras and Nicaragua.