Satellite image of Hurricane Ida. Image: NOAA

What Drove Ida: Hurricane Science 101

Warm water fuels ferocious winds that pile up a storm surge

Updated Aug. 30, 2021, the day after Ida made landfall in Louisiana

Whenever a major hurricane rears its ugly eye and threatens landfall, I’m simultaneously awed by the colossal force of nature and worried about the people in the storm’s path. Nearly 30 years ago I began…