The First of the Season!

Just about 3 weeks from the close of Hurricane Season 2009, we will more than likely have our first landfalling hurricane in the United States in over a year. Hurricane Ida is located around 400 miles south-southeast of the Mississippi River and is chugging through the Gulf of Mexico at 14 mph. A hurricane warning is in effect for the US mainland from Pascagoula, MS to Indian Pass, FL. Ida is a category two hurricane with winds of 105 mph. However, As the upper level wind shear increases over the storm, and it begins to feel the effects of another area of low pressure as well as a cold front approaching from the north, Ida will weaken – but should remain a hurricane through landfall. Thereafter, Ida should transition into an extra-tropical cyclone as it merges with the other systems. Heavy rain will be the main threat across the southeastern United States, but where the storm comes ashore we can see winds of hurricane force, storm surge of 3 to 6 feet and a few isolated tornadoes. Landfall should be sometime late Monday into Tuesday. Keep it here and to the National Hurricane Center for the latest. I have a link straight to the Hurricane IDA information on my blogroll.  If Ida does make landfall as a hurricane, it would be only the 5th hurricane to make landfall in the United States in the month of November since 1900.