HURRICANE WARNING FOR EASTERN COAST OF COUNTRY

On 5 November 2009 Tropical Storm Ida, which formed on 4 November in the southwestern Caribbean Sea, strengthened into a hurricane. Hurricane Ida, which has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph/65 kt, is currently located approximately 60 mi/97 km north-northeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua. It is moving northwest at a speed of approximately 7 mph/6 kt. A Hurricane Warning is now in effect for the eastern coast of Nicaragua -- extending northward from Bluefields to the city of Puerto Cabezas and the Honduran-Nicaraguan border. A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for the eastern coast of Nicaragua between Bluefields and the Costa Rican-Nicaraguan border. According to meteorologists, Ida is expected to move inland over the next few hours, after which it will begin to weaken.