Ida Becomes a Hurricane in the Caribbean
Thursday, November 5, 2009
By: Tom Parkinson

Hurricane Ida slammed into the coast of Nicaragua this morning forcing more than 2 thousand people to evacuate. The storm gained strength quickly yesterday in the southwest Caribbean becoming a Category One hurricane this morning. Ida had winds of about 75 miles per hour as it made landfall. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm is expected to weaken while crossing Honduras. Some long range forecast models show it heading into the Gulf of Mexico near Cancun by the middle of next week. Ida is only the 3rd hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season. Although late season hurricanes in the Gulf are unusual, the National Hurricane Center reminds coastal residents that the season continues until November 30th.