Ida could be Category 3 or 4 at possible Louisiana landfall

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Hurricane Ida is expected to intensify as it moves though the Gulf of Mexico over the next couple of days, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters on Friday afternoon said residents along the coast should be prepared for "an extremely dangerous major hurricane."

Hurricane Ida is expected to make landfall on Sunday somewhere within a hurricane warning area that stretches from Cameron on the west to the mouth of the Pearl River on the east. 

The storm's approach and growing concerns about storm surge had led to a series of evacuation recommendations and orders on Friday afternoon along the coastline.

By Friday afternoon, the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to 80 mph and Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana.

“Unfortunately, all of Louisiana’s coastline is currently in the forecast cone for Tropical Storm Ida, which is strengthening and could come ashore in Louisiana as a major hurricane as Gulf conditions are conducive for rapid intensification," Edwards said in a statement. "Now is the time for people to finalize their emergency game plan, which should take into account the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“This type of threat contains additional problems because the window to prepare is so short. By Saturday evening, everyone should be in the location where they intend to ride out the storm."

The storm's path and rapid intensification in the Gulf also brought back memories to Hurricane Laura, which made landfall about a year ago as a Category 4 storm.

"Each hurricane has its own characteristics and threats, but one comparison is we're forecasting rapid intensification for Ida, which is what happened with Laura," National Weather Service's chief New Orleans meteorologist Benjamin Schott.

Like Laura, Ida promises to pack a dangerous punch, Schott said.