Ida strengthens to hurricane as it barrels toward Louisiana landfall: Latest forecast

8/27

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Ida, which became a Category 1 hurricane Friday afternoon, is forecast to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall in Louisiana late Sunday or early Monday.

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Possible hurricane takes aim on Louisiana
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a person riding a wave on a surfboard in the water© RAMMB/NOAA via AFP/Getty Images
New Orleans will begin to see winds as early as Saturday night, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said at a Friday news conference.

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered south of New Orleans effective at 3 p.m. local time Friday.

New Orleans city officials on Friday issued mandatory evacuations for areas outside the levees and a voluntary evacuation for the rest of the parish.

The latest forecast shows Ida making landfall in Louisiana Sunday night into Monday morning, with sustained winds of 120 mph.

map: A weather map shows expected track of the tropical storm, Ida, Aug. 27, 2021.© ABC News A weather map shows expected track of the tropical storm, Ida, Aug. 27, 2021.
a close up of a sign: A weather map shows expected track through the weekend from the tropical storm, Ida, Aug. 27, 2021.© ABC News A weather map shows expected track through the weekend from the tropical storm, Ida, Aug. 27, 2021.
Storm surge could reach 11 feet along the Gulf Coast south of New Orleans and 5 feet on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans.

A weather map shows expected storm surge from the tropical storm, Ida, Aug. 27, 2021.© ABC News A weather map shows expected storm surge from the tropical storm, Ida, Aug. 27, 2021.
Some COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites are closing early Friday due to the storm, the Louisiana Department of Health said.

New Orleans hospitals are not being evacuated at this time, the mayor said.

But residents should be prepared for power outages, downed trees and significant street flooding, said Collin Arnold, director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

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The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch for parts of Louisiana and all of the Mississippi coast, including the cities of New Orleans and Biloxi. A tropical storm watch is in effect for parts of Mississippi and the entire Alabama coastline. A storm surge watch also has been issued for the entire coastline of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including the cities of Lake Charles, New Orleans, Biloxi and Mobile.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency and requested a pre-landfall Federal Declaration of Emergency in a letter to President Joe Biden.

"Now is the time for people to finalize their emergency game plan, which should take into account the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," Edwards said in a statement Thursday.

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Heavy rain up to 20 inches could induce life-threatening flash flooding.

Flash flooding also is possible in Alabama and Tennessee as Ida moves north. Areas in Tennessee hit with deadly, catastrophic flooding a week ago could suffer further destruction.

map: A weather map shows expected rainfall through the weekend from the tropical storm, Aug. 27, 2021.© ABC News A weather map shows expected rainfall through the weekend from the tropical storm, Aug. 27, 2021.
Biden is "closely tracking" the developments and will host a call with the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator and governors of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi to discuss preparations, press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.