Hurricane Ida closes in on Louisiana coast with 150mph winds

The system is expected to make landfall later on Sunday on the same date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years ago

A man, using pieces of plastic against the rain caused by Hurricane Ida, walks on a road leading to Batabano, in the Mayabeque province, Cuba, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Hurricane Ida has grown rapidly in strength, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane hours before hitting the Louisiana coast as emergency officials in the region grapple with opening shelters for displaced evacuees despite the risks of spreading coronavirus.

As Ida moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico, its top winds grew by 45mph to 150mph in five hours.