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Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana and then didn’t really weaken. Why?

Satellite phot of Ida

Enlarge / Storm Ida had a distinct eye as it approached the Louisiana coast on Sunday morning. (credit: NOAA)

Typhoon Ida roared into the southern US state of Louisiana on Sunday at 11: 55 am local time (16: 55 UTC) with sustained winds of 150 mph. The storm’s distinct vision moved into the state’s southernmost seaport, Port Fourchon, setting about destroying buildings and scattering boats moored nearby.

But Ida did not stop there. Instead of weakening as it marched northward toward the larger cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Ida appeared to maintain its organization with a distinct eye and even small vortices rotating around the center of the storm.

Ida brought many forms of devastation to Louisiana. Its storm surge swamped coastal areas and pushed water levels to flooding levels in Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans. Heavy rains flooded low-lying areas of the state.

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