Monday, November 9, 2009

What to expect from Ida this evening?

(4:30pm Monday) Right now the center of Tropical Storm Ida is approximately 100 miles south of Mobile, AL and has not yet begun its much anticipated turn to the east. However a strong turn away from the Pine Belt later tonight is still forecast. Within the next couple of hours we can expect moderate rainfall to begin in Hattiesburg and Laurel as well as winds between 10-20 mph. Some parts of the Pine Belt can expect between 1-2 inches of rainfall. Counties along the coast as well as George and Greene counties may see much more rainfall as Ida makes it turn right on top of them.

Ironically, a fast moving Ida helped to actually reduce our chances of rain Monday. We were poised to have a good amount of rain develop over South Mississippi from a separate low pressure system, but Ida rushed in very quickly and zapped much of the moisture from the low. With us only forecast to get a glancing blow from Ida we actually will end up with less rain from Ida than what we may have received from the low.

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