How Will Hurricane Ida Compare With Katrina?

U.S.|How volition Ida comparison to Katrina?

• Aug. 28, 2021Updated 3:17 p.m. ET

Hurricane Ida is expected to marque landfall Sunday, threatening to bring unsafe wind, tempest surge and rainfall to the Gulf Coast precisely 16 years aft the accomplishment of Hurricane Katrina, 1 of the astir costly earthy disasters successful American history, which near much than 1,800 dormant and produced much than $100 cardinal successful damages.

The wide interaction of tempest surge from Ida is predicted to beryllium little terrible than during Katrina. Because that tempest began arsenic a Category 5 hurricane successful the Gulf of Mexico earlier weakening arsenic it approached landfall, it generated tremendous tempest surge, which brought implicit 20 feet of h2o to parts of the Mississippi coast. Current projections enactment the tempest surge of Ida astatine 10 to 15 feet.

“Fifteen-foot definite tin bash a batch of damage,” said Barry Keim, a prof astatine Louisiana State University and Louisiana State Climatologist. “But it’s going to beryllium thing successful examination with Katrina’s surge.”

Improvements to the levee strategy pursuing Katrina person amended prepared the New Orleans metro country for the tempest surge.

However, the areas apt to person the astir terrible surge from Ida whitethorn beryllium little equipped to grip it than the country deed by Katrina, said Dr. Keim.

Ida is expected to marque landfall to the westbound of wherever Katrina struck, bringing the astir terrible tempest surge impacts to the Louisiana seashore westbound of the Mississippi River alternatively than east of the stream on coastal Mississippi, arsenic Katrina did.

“We are investigating a antithetic portion of the flood extortion successful and astir southeast Louisiana than we did successful Katrina,” said Dr. Keim. “Some of the anemic links successful this country possibly haven’t been rather arsenic exposed.”

While the impacts of Ida’s tempest surge are expected to beryllium little terrible than Katrina’s, Ida’s winds and rainfall are predicted to transcend those that pummeled the Gulf Coast successful 2005.

Ida is expected to marque landfall connected the Gulf Coast arsenic a Category 4 tempest with highest winds of 130 mph, portion Katrina made landfall arsenic a Category 3 with highest winds of 125 mph.

“It could beryllium rather devastating — particularly immoderate of those precocious emergence buildings are conscionable not rated to prolong that upwind load,” said Jamie Rhome, acting lawman manager of the National Hurricane Center.

The terrible harm from Hurricane Laura, which struck southwest Louisiana past twelvemonth arsenic a Category 4 storm, was caused chiefly by precocious winds peaking astatine 150 mph. The tempest caused 42 deaths and harm costing much than $19 billion.

Ida’s rainfall besides threatens to transcend Katrina’s highs.

The National Hurricane Center estimates that Ida volition drench the Gulf Coast with 8 to 16 inches of rainfall and possibly arsenic overmuch arsenic 20 inches successful immoderate places. Katrina brought 5-10 inches of rainfall with much than 12 inches successful the astir impacted areas.

“That is simply a batch of rainfall,” said Mr. Rhome. “Absolutely the flash flood imaginable successful this lawsuit is high, precise high.” Especially combined with tempest surge, helium said, specified aggravated levels of rainfall could person a “huge and devastating interaction to those section communities.”