IDA'S WRATH: Jetty East seawall damaged, 2,000 customers without power as Ida soaks Northwest Florida (9 a.m. UPDATE)

9:30 a.m. -- All tropical storm watches and warnings have been discontinued as the remnants of Ida continue moving inland.

The National Hurricane Center reports the center of Ida made its second landfall at 7 a.m. just to the northwest of Bon Secour, Ala. Ida is moving northeast at 9 mph and now has winds of only 35 mph.

What remains of Ida is expected to turn east later today and merge with a front.

Gusty winds are expected to diminish throughout the day, with rain tapering off by noon.

9 a.m. -- About 2,000 Gulf Power customers were without power as of 6 a.m. this morning, according to a press release from the company.

At the height of the storm, about 5,000 were without power, which is 1 percent of the company's customers. The power outages were caused by a combination of blown fuses and transformers and downed trees and power lines.

Extra contractors have been called in to help restore power more quickly.

In other storm-related news, at least one boat cut loose from its moorings during the storm and stranded on Navarre Beach.

The road between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach remains closed due to sand on the roadway.

Shelters opened in Walton, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties have been closed.

U.S. Highway 98, which has been breached by gulf waters in previous storms, experienced only a brief closure of one lane around 1 a.m.

8 a.m. -- Ida, the late-season hurricane that caused quite a stir, rolled onshore over Dauphin Island at about 5:40 a.m. central time, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile. It then moved into Mobile Bay, where its maximum sustained winds dropped to about 45 mph.

The good news locally is that storm surge failed to breach U.S. Highway 98 on Okaloosa Island, though there were reports of some water on the roadway. At least one lane was closed around 1 a.m., according to reports.

The sea wall at Jetty East in Destin did sustain damage.

The road that stretches between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach is closed due to sand on the road near Opal Beach, according to Santa Rosa County officials.

The remnants of Ida are expected to circle back to the east, but should pass north of the Florida Panhandle, according to Meterologist Keith Williams with the National Weather Service in Mobile. That additional rainfall will find its way into local rivers, which could cause them to rise over the next few days.

Winds in the Panhandle gusted to around 35 or 40 mph, Williams said. He estimated local rainfall to be between two and three inches and the storm surge here to be four to five feet.

Williams laughed when asked if he was expecting any more tropical activity for the season, which officially ends in three weeks.

"It should have been it for the year before," he said. "This shouldn't have ever happened."

Emergency shelters in Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County took in a total of less than 50 people. Both shelters are expected to close Tuesday morning.

Northwest Florida Regional Airport is back to normal operations. Travelers should check with airlines for specific flight information.

Forecasters say it will be cloudy Tuesday, though most of the rain has passed. 

Courts, schools, beaches and many government offices remain closed.

9:45 p.m. -- The National Weather Service in Mobile continued a tropical storm warning from Destin to Pascagoula out 60 nm. A tropical storm wind warning and flash flood watch continues for portions of Okaloosa County.

At 8 p.m., the center of Tropical Storm Ida was located about 52 miles south of Dauphin Island, Ala. (near Latitude 29.5 north longitude 88.5 west). Radar indicates the estimated rate of motion is to the north-northeast at 20 mph. Maximum sustained winds are between 60 and 65 mph. Higher gusts are possible closer to Ida’s ragged center.

Ida is expected to make landfall later this evening, most likely over coastal Alabama.

Tropical Storm force wind gusts continue to spread inland into coastal Alabama and the Emerald Coast.

The trend of increasing winds will continue through 10 p.m. with sustained tropical storm force winds spreading into the coastal area.

No reports of damage or road closures due to the storm in Walton County.

If sustained winds reach 40 miles per hour or higher, the Clyde B. Wells Bridge on U.S. Highway 331 will be closed. The Walton County Emergency Operations Center is in full activation monitoring the changing weather picture as Tropical Storm Ida approaches Walton County. Heavy rainfall in excess of six inches is possible.

9 p.m. -- Okaloosa County officials are warning motorists that they will encounter standing water on Santa Rosa Boulevard near Pelican Drive. As rain bands move through the area, other roads may experience flooding conditions.

Less than three weeks before the end of the 2009 hurricane season, the Emerald Coast is bracing for strong winds and heavy rain from Tropical Storm Ida.

Officials in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties declared states of emergency today and will close public schools today as the late-season storm churns toward the Gulf Coast.

Forecasts call for up to 8 inches of rain along the central Gulf Coast, along with flash flooding and coastal erosion.

A COLLECTION OF COVERAGE

• To read about Destin's response to the storm, click here.
• For photos of the run-up to the storm, click here.
• For photos of Walton County waiting for the storm, click here.
• See the updated list of closings here.
• To read Monday and Tuesday's area forecast with the possibility of erosive high tides, click here.
• View the Okaloosa County webcam on Okaloosa Island. »
• View the Sandestin Beach webcam. »
• See photo galleries from previous Northwest Florida hurricanes. »

Although the storm has continued to weaken, it still could bring heavy rainfall and strong winds, and residents, especially those who live in coastal areas, should take precautions, said Dino Villani, public safety director for Okaloosa County.

“You don’t let your guard down,” he said. “It’s a real good reminder that hurricane season doesn’t end until Nov. 30.”

Officials in all three counties urged voluntary evacuations of areas south of U.S. 98, mobile home parks and low-lying areas early Monday.

Villani cautioned residents the strongest rain and winds likely will hit the area early today when school buses and parents normally would be on the road, he said.

“We’re expecting the worst weather to come in at the commute time,” he said. “It’s early Tuesday morning that we’ll be the most vulnerable.”

The areas most susceptible to flooding and storm surge will be U.S. Hwy. 98 on Okaloosa Island and Gulf Shore Drive in Destin, Villani said.

The Okaloosa County  Sheriff’s Office will be keeping close tabs on U.S. 98, said Michele Nicholson, spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office.

“They’ll be patrolling the area to see what happens,” she said.

County offices in Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa closed early Monday and will remain closed Tuesday, with only essential employees reporting to work.

Okaloosa County offices will close today at 2 p.m. County residents can call the Citizens Information Line at 311 within the county. Outside Okaloosa County, residents are urged to call 423-4894. Both lines are being manned by live operators.

Recorded phone calls detailing Tuesday's school closure began going out to Okaloosa students' homes Monday morning.

"We can't delay our start times. ... It's too complicated," said Okaloosa County Schools Superintendent Alexis Tibbetts. "We are going to close all day."

A general population and special needs shelter will open at 6 p.m. today at Davidson Middle School.

Officials in Santa Rosa and Walton counties also declared states of emergency, suggesting voluntary evacuations of coastal areas, mobile home parks and low-lying areas. After-school activities in Santa Rosa County have been cancelled today, and schools will be closed in Santa Rosa and Walton counties on Tuesday.

In Milton, an American Red Cross shelter for  the general public and those with special needs is open at the Milton Community Center at 5629 Byrom St.

In Walton County, non-emergency functions and personnel will close down at noon today and remain closed through Tuesday. The Freeport High School gymnasium will be used as a shelter if needed.

With winds down to 70 miles per hour, Ida continued on a path toward the northern Gulf Coast. The projected landfall was shifted west to the Mobile Bay area.

Though the storm continues to weaken as it travels over the Gulf of Mexico, a tropical storm warning remains in effect from Pascagoula, Miss. eastward to Indian Pass, Fla.

Schools in Escambia County are closed Monday, though other area districts remain open.

As of 3 p.m. central time, Ida was located about 165 miles south-southwest of Pensacola. Winds remained at 70 mph. The storm was moving north at 18 mph.

All hurricane watches and warnings for the Gulf Coast were discontinued as of 9 a.m. Tropical storm warnings ahead of Ida extended more than 200 miles across several states, although residents seemed to take the late-season storm in stride. Ida is the third hurricane of this year's Atlantic season, which ends Nov. 30. The first two stayed far out to sea.

There were no immediate plans for mandatory evacuations. But authorities in some coastal area were opening shelters and encouraging people who live near the water or in mobile homes to leave.

"Even though we're telling everybody to be prepared, my gut tells me it probably won't be that bad," said Steve Arndt, director of Bay Point Marina Co. in Panama City, Fla.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency as a precaution, and the National Guard was on high alert if assistance was needed.

Earlier, heavy rain in Ida's wake triggered flooding and landslides in El Salvador that killed 124 people. One mudslide covered the town of Verapaz, about 30 miles outside the capital, San Salvador, before dawn Sunday.

The latest storm track projection from the National Hurricane Center showed Ida brushing near Louisiana and Mississippi, then making landfall near Alabama before continuing across south Alabama and Northwest Florida.

Officials were encouraging residents to prepare for potential gusts of 60 mph by removing tree limbs that could damage their homes and securing or bringing in any trash cans, grills, potted plants or patio furniture.

Residents of Pensacola Beach and nearby Perdido Key were encouraged to leave, as were people farther inland who live in mobile homes, and school was canceled in the area Monday and Tuesday. Some schools around New Orleans also canceled classes for Monday.

Nearly 1,400 Louisiana residents are still living in federally issued trailers and mobile homes after hurricanes Katrina and Rita; nearly 360 units remained in Mississippi.

"FEMA stresses that those in temporary (housing) units should not take chances," Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Andrew Thomas said. "Leave the unit behind and evacuate to a permanent structure that will better withstand tropical weather systems and the associated winds."

Mississippi authorities warned residents to be vigilant. Authorities were monitoring conditions to see whether any evacuations of lower-lying areas or school closures would be necessary.

"It is likely we will at least be hit with strong winds and some flooding in our coastal counties," said Jeff Rent, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Officials "do not want anybody to be caught off guard."

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Womack said forecasts called for tides of 4-7 feet above normal and rainfall totals of 5-7 inches within 24 hours, which could mean flooding along the coasts and along rivers.

There were no mandatory evacuations in Alabama, but schools were closed in Baldwin County on the eastern side of Mobile Bay, and the county was opening a shelter.

In the Florida Panhandle, residents in Bay County and Panama City were being advised to secure boats and prepare for storm surges that could reach 2-3 feet. Heavy rain, wind and possible flooding was also expected.

"You really don't know until it gets close how you're going to be affected by it," said Brad Monroe, Bay County's deputy chief of emergency services.

Ida wasn't expected to pack the wallop seen in 2008 when hurricanes Gustav and Ike pelted the Gulf Coast back-to-back.

On Sunday, Ida's wind and rain whipped palm trees in the Mexican resort city of Cancun. Fishermen tied their boats down, though tourists seemed to regard it as a minor setback.

"It's not what we expected," said Kathleen Weisser, a nurse from Fernley, Nev. "We wanted sun. Instead we have liquid sunshine."