TUPELO, Miss. (NewsNation Now) — Ida is expected to pick up speed as it moves through Mississippi on Monday night before dumping rain on the Tennessee and Ohio river valleys Tuesday.
The storm, blamed for at least two deaths, was downgraded to a tropical depression Monday afternoon and continued to make its way inland with torrential rain.
In Mississippi’s southwestern corner, entire neighborhoods were surrounded by floodwaters, and many roads were impassable.
More than 80,000 customers were without power in the state Sunday evening, according to poweroutage.us.
Several tornadoes were reported after Ida made landfall as a devastating Category 4 hurricane Sunday, including a suspected twister in Saraland, Alabama, that ripped part of the roof off a motel and flipped an 18-wheeler, injuring the driver, according to the National Weather Service.
Ida is expected to move through the Appalachian Mountain region Wednesday and the nation’s capital Thursday.
Forecasters said flash flooding and mudslides are possible along Ida’s path before it blows out to sea over New England late Thursday night or Friday.
Ida’s 150 mph winds tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane ever to hit the mainland. Its winds were down to 35 mph Monday evening, according to NewsNation’s chief meteorologist Albert Ramon.