Weather.com: “Ida has now become a Category 1 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea and is forecast to hammer the US Gulf Coast as a major hurricane this weekend with life-threatening storm surge, dangerous rainfall flooding, potentially devastating winds and tornadoes. Winds have ticked up to 75 mph according to Hurricane Hunters currently flying inside Ida, making the storm a hurricane. This increase means that Ida is already rapidly intensifying since winds increased from 30 mph Thursday afternoon to 75 mph Friday afternoon, an increase of 35 mph in less than 24 hours.”

“The National Hurricane Center has just upgraded parts of western Cuba to a hurricane warning, including the Isle of Youth and the provinces of Pinar del Rio and Artemisa. A hurricane watch continues in effect from Cameron, Louisiana, to the Mississippi-Alabama state line, including the New Orleans metro area. Hurricane watches are typically issued 48 hours in advance of when tropical storm-force winds are expected to arrive since these conditions make it difficult to make preparations for a hurricane, once they begin. A storm surge watch is also in effect from the Texas-Louisiana state line to the Alabama-Florida state line, including Vermilion Bay, Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and Mobile Bay. This means dangerous flooding from storm surge is possible within the next 48 hours. Finally, a tropical storm watch has been issued near the Alabama coast, where tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours.”