Thursday marks the third anniversary since Hurricane Ida made landfall, destroying parts of Southeast Louisiana. Thursday also marks the 19th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. WDSU Chief Meteorologist Emeritus Margaret Orr reflects on what we learned from Hurricane Ida, the first major hurricane to test the New Orleans levee system since improvements from Hurricane Katrina. Forecasting Ida: I knew Hurricane Ida was going to be bad. It was. Ida was a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph. It’s the third time a Category 4 hurricane hit Louisiana. The Last Island Hurricane of 1856 and last year’s Hurricane Laura both had winds of 150 mph. They were all devastating.Ida made landfall at Port Fourchon at 11:55 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, on the 16th anniversary of Katrina.A nearby ship reported a wind gust of 172 mph. The anemometer at Grand Isle was blown out at 148 mph.Ida was tough — …
