Hurricane Ida threatens several states in the southern US, from Arkansas down to Texas and parts of Louisiana. Winds are expected to reach 90mph at landfall, although weaker conditions are possible in parts of the Gulf of Mexico and in the North Carolina coastlines, where officials have already begun evacuations. The National Hurricane Center has put the storm under a category 4 category, meaning “life-threatening”, but should weaken as it moves through the Gulf.

Below, maps show the path of the storm and updates, providing links to NOAA data on strength, severity and evacuation directives:

Winds greater than 65mph pose the greatest danger to people as they impact homes, crops and infrastructure. Forecasters have issued evacuation orders for Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama, Texas and in coastal regions of Florida.

Fall wind alerts

While IHS Markit forecasts a weak core wind field in the final 24-48 hours, the hurricane centre could up its wind speed even further. Individual states have put out emergency notifications and wind advisories.

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; the tide

Hurricane Michael in 2017, which was in a similar area