Ida downgraded to a Tropical Storm: A weaker storm to hit the Gulf Coast

November 9, 10:33 AMAtlantic Hurricanes ExaminerTony Pann

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Tropical Storm Ida on Infared Satellite on Monday Nov. 9 2009.  CIMSS

The storm that grew quickly is now being robbed of energy over colder water.  Tropical Storm Ida now has winds of 70 mph, which is a significant drop from the 100 mph on Sunday. This has been a tough storm to track with it's wild swings in strength since it erupted last Thursday to a hurricane. After it's landfall over Nicaragua and Honduras, it quickly grew back to a hurricane again Sunday morning.  While it is weakening due to cooler water in the Gulf of Mexico and stronger upper level wind sheer, it still will cause problems from Louisiana to Florida.  

See the complete package of images, forecast maps in the slide show below.  This includes rainfall for the southeast, conditions affecting the storm, and forecast surface maps through Wednesday.

All Hurricane Warnings have been dropped.   A Tropical Storm Warning is in Place for the waters near New Orleans, to Florida.  Tropical Storm Force winds extend outward  200 miles. Rainfall along the path of Ida will range from 3-6 inches, with maximum amounts close to 8 inches.  A storm surge of 3-5 feet is still possible at landfall.  Ida is now encountering cooler waters in the Gulf of Mexico, causing it to lose strength.  There are also strong upper level sheering winds, giving it a push to the east, and further weakening the storm. This was suppose to be the first hurricane to affect the US since Bill back in August (which had it's largest impact with deadly waves in Maine) and the first hurricane to hit the US all year, and first November hurricane since 1985.  That will not happen, but not a surprse since the Hurricane Season Forecast was Lowered.

Intensity Update and Forecast

As of 10 AM Monday:

Location: 26.5°N 88.3°W
Max sustained: 70 mph  weakening...Tropical Storm
Moving: NNW at 17 mph
Min pressure: 996 mb

More Links:

Full Ida Storm Update

Cancun Radar: Watch Hurricane Ida pass into Gulf of Mexico

Check out these links for complete coverage:

Hurricane Ida: New Orleans forecast maps

Hurricane Ida: New Orleans Coastal Flood Warning

Hurricane Ida: New Orleans and Louisiana Marine Warnings