Ida spurs tropical storm warnings in Caribbean
MIAMI — Tropical storm warnings were issued Saturday for parts of Mexico and Cuba as Ida rapidly gained strength over Caribbean waters, and the storm could start affecting the U.S. Gulf Coast by Tuesday.
A hurricane watch was also issued for part of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
The warnings were issued for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba. A tropical storm warning was also in effect for Grand Cayman Island.
A tentative forecast track from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami shows the storm could hit the U.S. Gulf Coast in the coming days, but forecasters said it was too early to get an accurate picture of what Ida might do.
John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said forecasters should know more in the coming days. Cangialosi said as the system moves north across the gulf, it is expected to intersect with a cold front that is moving south, which is complicating projections.
"There's going to be some sort of interaction between the two, but where they interact, and how, and the timing of the thing, that's kind of the big question mark," Cangialosi said.
Regardless of how the cold front affects the tropical system, Cangialosi said residents on the north Gulf Coast can expect lots of wind and heavy rain.
Ida was packing winds of 70 mph (110 kph) Saturday afternoon and forecasters said it could become a hurricane later in the day. The storm was moving toward the north at about 9 mph (15 kph). It was centered about 230 miles (370 kilometers) southeast of Cozumel, Mexico.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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