Published: September 07, 2008 11:07 pm      

Where is Ike headed?

Experts say it is too early to tell

In terms of becoming hurricane ready, Gustav was a good dress rehearsal for the residents of Meridian and Lauderdale County.

It's a good thing with Ike lurking.

Hurricane Ike is expected to slam Cuba today as it makes its way westward into the Gulf of Mexico. There are several questions in the minds of meteorologists, such as Chad Entremont of the National Weather Service in Jackson. Two of the most pressing questions: how much of Ike's punch will Cuba take from the storm and will the storm be able to re-energize once it moves into the warm waters of the gulf.

"Gustav was a Category 4 storm when it hit Cuba and going over the land mass weakened it some," said Entremont, who is the lead forecaster for hurricanes at NWS. "Ike will actually travel over much more of Cuba, traveling almost its full length from east to west. But what it will do once it gets back into the gulf where the warm waters normally fire up hurricanes is anyone's guess right now."

It normally takes a hurricane 24 to 36 hours to recover from a landfall event. Entremont said other environmental conditions may come into play once Ike leaves Cuba.

"High pressure systems can create wind shear and a front expected to move into the central United States mid week might block Ike on westward," he said.

Local officials in Meridian were pleased last week prior to Gustav making landfall at how prepared residents seemed to be. It is a very important point when staring down the barrel of another storm poised to create havoc.

"By Wednesday we should really have a very good handle on what Ike is going to do," Entremont said. "So my advice is for everyone to keep that hurricane kit close by."