Hi everybody. We are tracking Ida as still a tropical storm. The shear is not all that high right now and there is still a 24-48 hour window for Ida to become a hurricane. The new 11 PM forecast track has Ida approaching the Panhandle of Florida and then making a sharp righ turn to a Se direction late in the forecast period. Ida should be extratropical by that time. Ida may get stronger then previously forecast and may weaken slower then previously forecast as she moves through the Gulf of Mexico. As she approaches the Panhandle, wind shear should increase and begin to weaken the system. Thereafter, she will bumb into a cold front and be steered SE and eventually be absorbed by the front. This shoould complete the change to an extratropical system. Strong winds from a pressure gradient will affect the SE Gulf but are not directly associated with Ida. The following graphics show the new forecast track as well as the model runs with the 48 hour precicitation forecast. It shoyld be noted that we are currently not in the cone.