UPDATE: 12:45 p.m.
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell wants everyone who lives or works outside the city鈥檚 levee protection system to evacuate.
Forecasters say Ida could be a major Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 120 mph when it nears the U.S. coast.
The National Hurricane Center says Ida is already rapidly intensifying and could speed across warm Gulf waters and slam into Louisiana on Sunday after hitting Cuba on Friday.
Category 3 hurricanes can cause devastating damage. Climate scientist Jim Kossin says it's headed straight towards New Orleans. Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared an emergency for all of Louisiana.
ORIGINAL STORY
BATON ROUGE, La. (KWWL) 鈥� Forecasters now say Tropical Storm Ida could be a major Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 115 mph when it nears the U.S. coast.
The National Hurricane Center says Ida is showing hallmarks of a rare, rapidly intensifying storm that could hit Cuba on Friday and slam into Louisiana on Sunday.
Category 3 hurricanes can cause devastating damage. Climate scientist Jim Kossin says it鈥檚 headed straight towards New Orleans.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared an emergency for all of Louisiana and says people should be in safe places to ride out the storm by Saturday night.
If Ida makes landfall in New Orleans on its projected date of Aug. 29, it will hit on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.聽聽killed almost 2,000 people, destroyed 100,000 homes and flooded 80% of New Orleans.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
