Hurricane Ida strengthens, Louisiana braces for severe blow
Interstate 10 near Slidell, La., is packed with evacuees heading east Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, as Hurricane Ida approaches. (Scott Threlkeld/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
The National Hurricane Center warned that super-warm Gulf waters could rapidly magnify Ida’s destructive power, boosting it from a Category 2 storm to an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane in just 18 hours or less. Landfall was expected Sunday afternoon.
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