Hurricane Ida could dump heavy rains on Charlotte area, NWS says. Here’s what we know.
The remnants of Hurricane Ida could deliver strong winds and heavy rains to the Charlotte area by the middle of the week, National Weather Service meteorologists warned Saturday.
The exact impact of the storm on the Carolinas was uncertain Saturday.
The worst of the severe weather from Ida is expected west of the Appalachians, but “some threat for heavy rainfall, wind, and/or severe weather potential exists for our area during the mid-week time frame,” according to an alert at 6 a .m. Saturday by the NWS office in Greer, S.C.
That area also includes Upstate South Carolina, the N.C. foothills and parts of the N.C. and S.C. mountains.
Ida was predicted to strengthen through Saturday night, the National Hurricane Center in Miami posted on Twitter.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, Ida “was intensifying over the Gulf of Mexico,” with 100 mph winds about 380 miles southeast of Houma, Louisiana, the Hurricane Center reported. Winds rose from 85 mph Saturday morning.
In a bulletin at 5 a.m. Saturday, the National Hurricane Center warned of dangerous storm surge along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts on Sunday, including New Orleans.
“Extremely life-threatening inundation of 10 to 15 feet above ground level is possible within the area from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mouth of the Mississippi River,” Hurricane Center officials said in the bulletin. “Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the coast of Louisiana.”
Sunny skies and a consistent daily high of 95 degrees is predicted for Charlotte through Tuesday, according to the NWS forecast at 2 p.m. Saturday. Charlotte has a 40% chance of showers on Wednesday, according to the NWS.
This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 8:57 AM.