Jamaica in for much rainfall as TS Ida barrels through Cayman

The National Hurricane Centre has dispatched a hurricane hunter aircraft to investigate Tropical Storm Ida which is gaining strength as it passes through the Cayman Islands. Among other regional implications, Ida is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 10 inches, with maximum totals of 15 inches, across Jamaica.

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for:

Sabine Pass to Alabama/Florida state line

Vermilion Bay, Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Mobile Bay

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:

Cameron, Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama state line

Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

The Cayman Islands

The Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque, Havana, Artemisa, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:

Mississippi/Alabama border to the Alabama/Florida state line

Tropical storm conditions are expected in the Cayman Islands this morning and are expected to reach the Isle of Youth and portions of western Cuba in the warning area later today. Hurricane conditions are possible in the hurricane watch area along the northern Gulf Coast late Saturday night or Sunday and tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area late Saturday night or Sunday.