Tracking Hurricane Ida’s Projected Path
Ida came ashore about 60 miles south of New Orleans on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane with top wind speeds of 150 miles (241 kilometers) per hour. It’s only the third storm on record to hit Louisiana with wind speeds that strong. Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday as it moves inland.
- Category:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- Tropical Cyclone
- Forecast uncertainty
Ida, the fourth hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic storm season, is expected to increase ocean levels as much as 16 feet (4.9 meters) and dump 2 feet of rain. The storm made landfall near New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history.
See More: Tracking the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season
Ida, the fourth hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic storm season, was expected to increase ocean levels as much as 16 feet (4.9 meters) and dump 2 feet of rain. More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana were without power Monday morning, according to Poweroutage.us. The storm made landfall near New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history.
Seven-day precipitation estimates
0.5
1.5
3
5
10
15+ inches
Charlotte
Tenn.
Ark.
Okla.
Memphis
S.C.
Atlanta
Birmingham
Ga.
Ala.
Dallas-
Ft. Worth
Miss.
Jackson
Texas
Mobile
La.
Baton Rouge
Pensacola
Austin
New Orleans
Houston
Orlando
San Antonio
Fla.
Tampa
Miami
0.5
1.5
3
5
10+ inches
Tenn.
Ark.
Memphis
Okla.
S.C.
Birmingham
Ga.
Ala.
Miss.
Jackson
Texas
La.
Mobile
Baton Rouge
Pensacola
New Orleans
Fla.
0.5
1.5
3
5
10+ inches
3
TN
AR
OK
SC
Memphis
AL
GA
MS
Jackson
LA
TX
Mobile
Baton Rouge
New Orleans
FL
0.5
1.5
3
5
10+ inches
3
TN
AR
OK
SC
GA
AL
MS
TX
LA
New Orleans
FL
0.5
1.5
3
5
10+ inches
TN
SC
AR
GA
AL
MS
TX
LA
New Orleans
FL
Ida quickly strengthened as it passed over Gulf waters that measured 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Celsius) more than 100 feet below the sea surface in some areas, according to Argo sensors, which collect data as they move with ocean currents.
“As a hurricane moves overhead, its winds ‘churn up’ the water in a process, called upwelling, which brings deeper water up to the surface,” said Kimberly Wood, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State University. “When that deeper water is a similar and also high temperature to the original sea surface temperature, that ‘new’ water will continue to provide fuel to the storm.”
Deep, warm water helped fuel Hurricane Ida
Sea surface
temperatures
10°C|50°F
14°C|57°F
25°C|77°F
28°C|82°F
New Orleans
30°C|86°F
Sensor readings of ocean temperatures below the surface
Aug. 24
Aug. 24
Aug. 22
Aug. 25
Aug. 22
Aug. 24
DEPTH (METERS):
0
DEPTH (METERS):
0
DEPTH (METERS):
0
DEPTH (METERS):
0
DEPTH (METERS):
0
DEPTH (METERS):
0
68
22
186
187
69
160
−50
−50
−50
−50
−50
−50
−100
−100
−100
−100
−100
−100
−150
−150
−150
−150
−150
−150
−200
−200
−200
−200
−200
−200
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
Sea surface
temperatures
10°C|50°F
14°C|57°F
25°C|77°F
28°C|82°F
New Orleans
30°C|86°F
Sensor readings of ocean temperatures below the surface
Aug. 24
Aug. 24
Aug. 22
Aug. 25
Aug. 22
Aug. 24
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
0
0
68
22
186
187
69
160
−50
−50
−50
−50
−50
−50
−100
−100
−100
−100
−100
−100
−150
−150
−150
−150
−150
−150
−200
−200
−200
−200
−200
−200
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
Sensor readings of ocean temperatures below the surface
Aug. 24
Aug. 24
Aug. 22
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
0
22
186
160
−50
−50
−50
−100
−100
−100
−150
−150
−150
−200
−200
−200
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
Sea surface
temperatures
10°C|50°F
14°C|57°F
25°C|77°F
28°C|82°F
New Orleans
30°C|86°F
Aug. 25
Aug. 22
Aug. 24
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
DEPTH (METERS):
0
68
187
69
−50
−50
−50
−100
−100
−100
−150
−150
−150
−200
−200
−200
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
Sensor readings of ocean temperatures below the surface
Aug. 24
Aug. 24
Aug. 22
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
0
22
186
160
−50
−50
−50
−100
−100
−100
−150
−150
−150
−200
−200
−200
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
Sea surface
temperatures
10°C|50°F
14°C|57°F
25°C|77°F
28°C|82°F
New Orleans
30°C|86°F
Aug. 25
Aug. 22
Aug. 24
DEPTH (METERS):
0
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
187
69
68
−50
−50
−50
−100
−100
−100
−150
−150
−150
−200
−200
−200
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
Sensor readings of ocean temperatures below the surface
Aug. 22
Aug. 24
Aug. 24
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
0
22
186
160
−50
−50
−50
−100
−100
−100
−150
−150
−150
−200
−200
−200
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
Sea surface
temperatures
10°C|50°F
14°C|57°F
25°C|77°F
28°C|82°F
30°C|86°F
Aug. 25
Aug. 22
Aug. 24
DEPTH (METERS):
0
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
187
69
68
−50
−50
−50
−100
−100
−100
−150
−150
−150
−200
−200
−200
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
Sea surface
temperatures
10°C|50°F
14°C|57°F
25°C|77°F
28°C|82°F
New Orleans
30°C|86°F
Sensor readings of ocean temperatures below the surface
Aug. 24
Aug. 24
Aug. 22
Aug. 25
Aug. 22
Aug. 24
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
DEPTH (METERS):
0
0
0
0
68
22
186
187
69
160
−50
−50
−50
−50
−50
−50
−100
−100
−100
−100
−100
−100
−150
−150
−150
−150
−150
−150
−200
−200
−200
−200
−200
−200
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
20
25
30°C
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
See More: Climate Change Fueled Hurricane Ida With Warm, Deep Seawater