By late last night, Hurricane Ida had morphed into a scary Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of more than 100 miles per hour.

 Storm-watchers were warning residents of the northern Gulf Coast, from Grand Isle to Pascagoula, Miss., including the hurricane-skittish city of New Orleans. There could be floods throughout the New Orleans metropolitan area Monday, where as many as five inches of rain are expected, according to the National Weather Service.

High tides could help swell creeks, streams and bayous, making bad matters worse, a service spokesman told The Times-Picayune, which reports that coastal flood warnings have been posted through Tuesday at 6 p.m. for all of southeastern Louisiana, including areas around Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas, with tides of 5 to 7 feet above normal expected Monday.

In an effort to get the feds ready to provide assistance should it be needed, Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) declared a state of emergency Sunday. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness activated its Crisis Action team on Friday, and Louisiana National Guard and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries personnel have been placed on alert, according to the Times-Picayune.