Hurricane Ida reaches Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana on high alert

Hurricane Ida entered the southern Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, arising a state of emergency in Louisiana and raised alerts in parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast.The storm again attained hurricane intensity overnight, emerging as a Category 2 hurricane, but forecasters told it is expected to lose its intensity as it moves north. Ida drenched Nicaragua after making landfall last week as a Category 1 hurricane, then turned to a tropical storm before getting strong.Forecaster Robby Berg from National Hurricane Center informed that at least 91 people had to loose their lives in flooding and mudslides in El Salvador. But government determined that a low-pressure system out of the Pacific was the basic reason of the disaster not Hurricane Ida.

The U.S. Watch forecasters predicts that hurricane situations are possible within 36 hours that may range from Grand Isle, Louisiana, eastward to Mexico Beach, Florida. forecasters said. They clarified that the city of New Orleans, Louisiana don't come under that range.atch over Ida's progress.The Governor Bobby Jindal is continuously tracking the status to declare a state of emergency in Louisiana. The declaration set free the state's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to take steps to avert the disaster that could be caused by hurricane.

Ida was anticipated to reach the northeastern tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula by Sunday afternoon.As of 7 p.m. ET Sunday, Ida had maximum sustained winds with speed of 105 mph (165 kilometers per hour) having higher gusts. But the storm was expected to slow down on Monday and possibly begin losing tropical nature on Tuesday, the hurricane center informed.Ida originated at 445 miles (720 kilometers) south-southeast from the mouth of the Mississippi River, and around 140 miles (225 kilometers) west of the western tip of Cuba, forecasters said. It moved towards north-northwest at about 12 mph (19 kilometers per hour) and was expected to become more stronger. The storm is assumed to be near coastal areas of the northern Gulf by Monday night or early Tuesday, the hurricane center said.

CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen told that once Ida reaches the Gulf of Mexico, conditions are supposed to be unfavorable for any other development; Ida is expected to slow down because of a combination of wind shear, cooler water temperatures and the storm's interaction with a strong frontal system pushing off the Gulf Coast.However, Ida still may bring heavy rain fall to the Gulf Coast and regions of the Southeast, he said.Florida's Division of Emergency Management asked residents to be prepared for the possible calamity.

"Whether Ida maintains a storm or loses tropical characteristics, the Florida Gulf Coast region has the potential to see several inches of rain, strong winds, isolated tornadoes and dangerous surf and coastal flooding beginning Monday evening and continuing into Wednesday," the Hurricane center said in a statement.Forecasters informed that the Isle of Youth was kept on storm watch.Ida may cause rainfall between 3 and 5 inches in western Cuba, and 10 inches in some places, forecasters said.Ida is the ninth named storm from Atlantic region. The hurricane season in Atlantic region ends on November 30.