TROPICS: Ida is headed toward the northern Gulf Coast; storm could impact the Midlands next week

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - We’re keeping a close eye on Ida.

Headlines:

• Ida is forecast to strengthen as the storm moves over the Gulf of Mexico.
• The storm is expected to become a Category 4 hurricane before it makes landfall most likely in Louisiana Sunday evening or Sunday night.
• Once the storm moves over land, it will weaken.
• As the remnants track northwest of the Midlands, we might see a bit more moisture in our area for showers and storms to develop by the middle to latter part of next week.
• Wednesday is an Alert Day for now for potential impacts from Ida here in the Midlands. The forecast is subject to change based on Ida’s track.

Weather Story:

All eyes are on Ida, which will move over Cuba, then into the Gulf of Mexico.

At 11 p.m. Friday, the storm had sustained winds at 80 mph and was moving northwest at 15 mph. The pressure was at 989 mb.

The storm is forecast to strengthen over the Gulf of Mexico and become a major hurricane by Saturday.

In fact, Ida is expected to strengthen into a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall most likely over Louisiana by late Sunday.

As the storm moves over land, it will weaken into early next week. However, we’ll need to pay attention to the storm’s remnants and energy and the moisture flow from the south interact over our area.

The flow pattern, in particular, will give us more moisture to work with next week. That means that we’ll have an ample amount of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico for showers and storms to develop. Any storms that develop could produce some tropical downpours, especially by Wednesday and/or Thursday.

Right now, Wednesday is an Alert Day for potential showers and storms in the Midlands. Some localized flooding is possible.

We’ll also need to watch out for the potential for severe thunderstorms Wednesday and possibly into Thursday. We’ll keep you posted. The forecast is subject to change based on

Stay with your WIS First Alert Weather Team for further weather updates.

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