Clouds Loom Over Orange Beach, Alabama, as Ida Threatens Gulf Coast

The water at Orange Beach, Alabama, was closed to the public on Friday, August 27, as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said a strengthening tropical storm approaching the Gulf of Mexico was upgraded to a hurricane.

Footage shared by the City of Orange Beach shows two red flags flying at Romar Beach, indicating that waters were closed to the public. The city said sand bags were available to residents to fill on Friday and encouraged boat owners to secure their crafts before the storm arrived.

Storm surge, hurricane, and tropical storm watches were in effect for parts of the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coasts as Ida neared western Cuba on Friday, the NHC said.

Hurricane Ida was forecast to make landfall along the southern US coast on Sunday and into Monday, the NHC said. It was upgraded on Friday to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Credit: City of Orange Beach via Storyful