Hurricane Ida rapidly intensifies into dangerous Category 4

The storm arrived on the exact date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier. Ida is a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph

Hurricane Ida was rapidly intensifying early August 29, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane on track for a potentially devastating landfall on the Louisiana coast while emergency officials in the region grappled with opening shelters for displaced evacuees despite the risks of spreading the coronavirus. The National Hurricane Center predicted Ida would become an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph (209 kph) winds — that happened early August 29 ahead of an expected afternoon landfall. The storm arrived on the exact date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier. Ida was a Category 4 hurricane as of the morning of August 29 with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. The storm was centered about 175 miles (280 kilometers) southeast of coastal Houma, Louisiana, and was traveling northwest at 15 mph (24 kph).