Wind shear is tearing Ida apart as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center downgraded Ida to a tropical storm this morning.
"Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph... with higher gusts. Some weakening is expected later today and tonight as Ida approaches the coast," the Hurricane Center advisory said at noon.
Officials expect only "isolated impact" in Southeast Louisiana.
WWL TV Meteorologist Laura Buchtel says it will get a bit windier in New Orleans before Ida goes ashore around Mobile, Alabama.
"Winds are going to pick up today as the storm comes a little bit closer," Buchtel said. "Maybe gusting up through tropical storm force."
That could blow branches around enough to knock out some power.
Buchtel says there will be rain over Southeast Louisiana, but not likely enough to cause street flooding. "We'll see rainfall amounts as little as half and inch and maybe as high as three inches in isolated spots... We'll see on and off tropical showers moving thorough the nighttime hours."
The Hurricane Center says, "Ida is moving toward the north-northwest near 18 mph... A turn toward the north and then to the north-northeast is expected... The center of Ida is expected to make landfall... Tuesday morning."
Storm surge is expected to push tides one to five feet above normal. Some roads outside the levee protection have seen some flooding.
Get models, forecasts, radar and more at WWL's Hurricance Central... http://www.wwlhurricanecentral.com/
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