As expected, Ida has continued weakening as it moves into cooler waters and encounters increasing wind shear levels. At 9 am, EST Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm. As a consequence, Hurricane Warnings have been discontinued, but Tropical Storm Warnings remain in effect from Grand Isle, Louisiana to the Ancilla River in Florida.
Currently, sustained winds were down to 70-mph with further weakening expected prior to landfall early Tuesday. At 9 am, EST Ida was located near 26.5 N and 88.3 W. The system was moving north-northeast at 17-mph with a central pressure of 996 MB (29.41"). While weakening is expected to continue, Ida should still make landfall near, or just east of Pensacola, as a strong tropical storm.
As anticipated, Ida is falling victim to the twin obstacles of cooler water temperatures and high wind shear levels, which is one reason why land-falling hurricanes are so rare in November (Check back for the planned blog on November hurricanes).
Below are links to sites illustrating the factors suppressing Ida at this time:
Current Water Temperatures in the GulfWind Shear Levels and TendenciesYou must be a registered member of The Daily News site to post a response. Enter your name and email address with your comments below to register. Include your password if you’re already a member.
