How Will Ida Affect Us Locally?

The clouds have already taken over here in the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry, and soon rain will fall.

It's all due to Tropical Storm Ida, which as of Monday evening is spinning out in the Gulf of Mexico and is ready to make landall.

Here's the latest information from the National Hurricane Center:
At 4p.m., the center of Tropical Storm Ida was located near Latitude 28.4 North and Longitude 88.5 West or about 60 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and about 165 miles south-southwest of Pensacola, Florida.

Ida is moving toward the north near 18mph, and 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 70mph 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.

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.

The next update will come from STORM TEAM 3 at 7p.m.

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And here's your local forecast:
For tonight, expect cloudy skies and a chance of rain showers. It will stay mild and humid overnight with lows in the 60s. Easterly winds could be breezy at times.

On Tuesday, rain showers will be likely, and we could see a few embedded thundershowers. With breezy easterly winds, highs will reach the upper 60s to the mid 70s. The rain could be moderate to heavy at times, and some locations could pick up as much as half an inch. We could see higher isolated amounts.

On Tuesday night, rain showers will remain likely. And it will stay mild overnight with lows in the upper 50s to the 60s.

On Wednesday, the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Ida will still affect the area. Rain showers will be likely yet again, and we could see a few thundershowers. Temperatures will stay in the 60s throughout the day.

The storm system should start to move out of the area by Wednesday night. At the end of this storm event, most of us will pick up an inch of rain. Some locations could pick up as much as 3 inches.

The forecast track of Ida could definitely change, so stay tuned to STORM TEAM 3 for the very latest information. We will be tracking it all for you, and we will provide all the updates.

Keep Looking Up!