Hurricane Ida: How it’s impacting Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The State of Mississippi is in the path of Hurricane Ida. The tropical system made landfall on Sunday, August 29 at 11:55 a.m. near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 miles per hour.

Hurricane Ida rapidly grew in strength early Sunday, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane just hours before hitting the Louisiana coast while emergency officials in the region grappled with opening shelters for displaced evacuees despite the risks of spreading the coronavirus.

Governor Tate Reeves has declared a State of Emergency before Ida’s landfall. President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi ahead of Ida’s arrival.

Ida made landfall on Sunday, August 29, the the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s catastrophic landfall.

Tropical Storm and Storm Surge warnings are in effect for Central and South Mississippi. This means tropical storm forced winds are possible (39-73 mph). Storm surge 7-11 feet is possible in Hancock and Harrison counties. 4-7 feet in Jackson County.

The storm cause significant damage to New Orleans and the surrounding areas. One death was reported dead from a fallen tree on a home in Prairieville, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

Meanwhile, a fallen tower knocked out power to the entire city of New Orleans.

In Mississippi, the storm began causing problems Sunday night. At Monday, the storm weakened to a Tropical Storm, with sustained winds of 60 miles per hour.

A flash flood warning is active:

• Until 9 a.m. in Pike, Walthall, Lawrence and Lincoln counties
• Until 9:30 a.m. in Covington and Jefferson Davis counties
• Until 10:45 a.m. in Copiah and Simpson counties

MORE LINKS:

The Latest forecast for Central and Southwest Miss.

Power Outages

School closings

Flights canceled

Copyright 2021 WLBT. All rights reserved.