Ida downgraded to tropical depression

Ida continued to drench Central America as a tropical depression today, but forecasters warn the late-season storm has some chance of regaining strength and heading toward the U.S. At 9 a.m., Ida was located about 55 miles west of the Honduras-Nicaragua border, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Maximum sustained winds remained near 35 mph, and the depression was moving north near 7 mph. This general motion was expected to continue today, with a turn to the north-northwest expected Saturday. According to the NHC’s five-day forecast, Ida was expected to brush past the Mexican resorts of Cancun and Cozumel on Saturday as a tropical storm before emerging into the southern Gulf of Mexico. Ida was expected to be west of Key West, Fla., and south of Pensacola, Fla., at 7 a.m. Tuesday before turning toward the northeast later Tuesday or Wednesday. On the forecast track, Ida would threaten the Florida Peninsula on Thursday or Friday as a tropical storm or an extratropical storm. Click here for the NHC Web site.