Water Vapor Satellite loop, Thursday morning (NOAA)

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• Tropical Storm Ida forms; 9th named storm of the 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season

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• Hurricane Storm Ida (Public Statement)

A day after developing into a tropical depression and then a tropical storm, Ida becomes the 3rd hurricane of the 2009  Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Hurricane Ida (Category 1) was located over 75 miles north northeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua and was moving to the northwest near 6 mph with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph and higher gusts up to 90 mph.

Hurricane force winds extended outward 15 miles and the tropical storm force winds extended outward 70 miles from the center of the storm.

 Hurricane Ida will make landfall along the eastern coast of Nicaragua this morning and move across portions of eastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras during the next couple of days.

Ida could produce life-threatening floods and mudslides over eastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras with maximum rainfall amounts of 25 inches possible. 

3rd hurricane of the season

Forecast Track:

As mentioned above, Hurricane Ida is expected to make landfall this morning along the east coast of Nicaragua, before emerging back out over the southwestern Caribbean by Saturday  -according to the National Hurricane Center 5 day track.

Thereafter, whatever is left of this system could possibly re-intensify into a tropical storm as it slowly moves north toward the Gulf of Mexico.

                           (NHC-5 day track)

A majority of the forecast models for this storm, track it into the Gulf of Mexico as either a tropical storm and or hurricane, however the water temperatures are substantially cooler along the northern Gulf of Mexico, so if this system was to track into the northern Gulf of Mexico as various models are indicating, the storm would likely weaken.

                            (Weather Underground-forecast model tracks) 

 But if the future track of this system takes it further south and east toward Florida, this storm could maintain intensity and possibly strengthen as the water temperatures remain around 27 degrees Celsius and or 80 degrees Fahrenheit and higher, especially along the South Florida Coasts.

(Note: 27 degree Celsius  and or 80 degrees Fahrenheit and higher water temperatures are necessary for most tropical systems to either strengthen and or maintain their intensities)

Regardless of the track, everyone living along the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Coasts should stay updated on the latest weather information concerning Hurricane Ida as it becomes available.