A hurricane watch is in effect for New Orleans and a long stretch of Louisiana's coast as Ida, now a tropical storm, heads toward the Gulf of Mexico. The system is expected to become a major hurricane, and approach the northern Gulf Coast on Sunday, according to forecasters.

The storm was located about 200 miles east-southeast of the western tip of Cuba on Friday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. The system is likely to undergo rapid intensification as it moves across the hot Gulf of Mexico waters, and is forecast to reach Category 3 status on Sunday before it makes landfall.

The forecast cone indicates possible landfall between Port Arthur, Texas, and Biloxi, Mississippi, with an emphasis on the Louisiana coast. This could still change, but the models generally agree on this track.