Hurricane Ida hit Cuba on Friday and it is now threatening to strike Louisiana's coastline late Sunday, prompting evacuations throughout the Gulf Coast.

Iran PressAmerica: Hurricane Ida, which forecasters expect to make landfall on coastal Louisiana Sunday evening as a life-threatening Category 4 storm, poses a significant threat to the New Orleans metropolitan area, according to weather officials.

According to US media, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards urged residents on Friday to "please make use of all the time that you have between now and tomorrow night to prepare for this storm."

Ida had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph with higher gusts Friday evening as it passed over western Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm will move into the Gulf of Mexico Saturday.

The Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi coasts are under storm surge warnings, and Louisiana's coast is now under a hurricane warning, according to the National Hurricane Center. 219

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