The Buzz | Hurricane Ida winds hit 150 mph ahead of Louisiana strike
Hurricane Ida rapidly grew in strength yesterday, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane just hours before hitting the Louisiana coast as emergency officials in the region grappled with opening shelters for displaced evacuees despite the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
As Ida moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico, its top winds grew by 45 mph to 150 mph in five hours. The system was expected to make landfall early today [Macau time] on the exact date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier.
The hurricane center said Ida is forecast to hit at 155 mph, just 1 mph shy of a Category 5 hurricane. Only four Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the United States: Michael in 2018, Andrew in 1992, Camille in 1969 and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Both Michael and Andrew were upgraded to category 5 long after the storm hit with further review of damage.
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