Ida strengthened into a tropical storm with 65 mph winds Friday morning, and was then reclassified as a hurricane in the afternoon using data from an Air Force Reserve aircraft. As of a 5 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center, Ida is showing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, with higher gusts, and moving northwest at 15 mph.

The NHC anticipates Ida will grow stronger over the next couple days as it approaches Louisiana.

“Steady to rapid strengthening is expected when Ida moves over the southeastern and central Gulf of Mexico over the weekend, and Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it approaches the northern Gulf coast on Sunday,” the advisory said.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday called for a mandatory evacuation of city areas outside the levee protection system. Other parts of Louisiana have issued voluntary and, in some cases, mandatory evacuation orders. Parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Florida were also put under tropical storm watches and storm surge watches.

Additionally, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Thursday night in preparation for Ida, anticipated to collide with New Orleans as a Category 3 hurricane on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall. President Joe Biden approved the state of emergency declaration Friday afternoon.

“Unfortunately, all of Louisiana’s coastline is currently in the forecast cone for Tropical Storm Ida, which is strengthening and could come ashore in Louisiana as a major hurricane as Gulf conditions are conducive for rapid intensification. Now is the time for people to finalize their emergency game plan, which should take into account the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” Edwards said in a press release.

Ida made landfall on Cuba’s Isle of Youth on Friday, and its center was moving toward western Cuba at 5 p.m. Cayo Largo also started to see tropical storm conditions.

The live updates for this event have ended.

The new storm surge warnings are in effect from east of Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana the Mississippi and Alabama border. A new hurricane warning was issued across part of the Louisiana coast, stretching from Intracoastal City in Vermillion Parish to the mouth of the Pearl River.

The northern Gulf Coast is under a tropical storm warning from the mouth of the Pearl River to the Mississippi and Alabama border. Another tropical storm warning was issued for the Louisiana coast from west of Intracoastal City to Cameron.

These new warnings are in addition to existing hurricane, storm surge and tropical storm warnings issued across the coast.

Hurricane Ida is still moving northwest at 15 mph, according the National Hurricane Center.

Jay Dardenne, commissioner of administration for Louisiana, announced the closures. Various schools, courts, COVID-19 testing sites and state parks are also shuttering as the hurricane is projected to make landfall.

This includes Bayou Gauche Island, Kerry’s Point, Cajun Paradise and Lower Des Allemands, according to a press release from Matthew Jewell, president of the parish. Jewell also recommended evacuations for the entire parish, though it is only required for the areas with restricted levee protection.

The mandatory evacuation order took effect Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET, while residents voluntarily choosing to evacuate were instructed to do so no later than Saturday evening.

St. Charles Parish could potentially see more than 10 inches of rain and storm surges of between six and nine feet from Hurricane Ida, the release said.

The emergency declaration authorizes additional federal assistance to aid the state and local response, as well as gives the green light to the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts.

Psaki said that Criswell was in Louisiana yesterday and met with Gov. John Bel Edwards and the state’s emergency management director to talk over “how they’re mobilizing to prepare for what could be a very dangerous storm hitting a region that has been heavily impacted by the delta variant.”

Biden will be tracking the hurricane and receiving updates throughout the weekend, Psaki said.

Tulane University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Baton Rouge Community College and Southern University are four schools that have announced they are closing Friday or during the weekend. Southeastern and Southern are also expected to remain closed through Monday, WBRZ reported.

Various state parks, historic sites, COVID-19 testing sites, courts and a police department have also announced closures due to take effect at various points in the next couple days.

Cantrell announced a mandatory evacuation order for parts of New Orleans outside the levee protection system Friday. However, the rest of the city was also under put a voluntary order.

The NFL’s New Orleans Saints also moved up their Saturday preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals to noon ET, rather than the original time of 7 p.m.

A statement from the team said the decision came as they were “making proper and safe preparations regarding the potential landfall of Hurricane Ida and following consultation and agreement with City of New Orleans officials, the National Weather Service, Homeland Security and the NFL.”

The hurricane was projected to hit Cuba days before making landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Hurricane warnings were issued for the Isle of Youth and the provinces of Pinar del Ria and Artemisa earlier Friday.

Cayo Largo has also started to see tropical storm conditions.

In a message posted on a disaster and emergency preparedness website, Edwards said that impacts of Ida could hit the state as soon as Saturday, while “hurricane force winds and torrential flooding” could come on Sunday

“Now is the time to finalize your plans. There will likely be major power outage issues. Travel could be restricted due to flooding and other problems,” the message said.

The towns of Jean Lafitte, Lower Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria are all under voluntary evacuation orders as of Friday morning, 4WWL reported. In Grand Isle, campers, RVs and boats are required to evacuate.

Lafourche Parish and has a voluntary evacuation order, while mandatory evacuation orders will go into effect in parts of Plaquemines Parish on Friday afternoon. Evacuation is mandatory in areas of New Orleans outside the levee protection system.

The hurricane is showing maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, and Cayo Largo in Cuba is starting to see tropical storm conditions, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“Evacuate if told to do so. It could save your life,” the NWS said in a tweet.