Hurricane Ida made landfall in eastern Nicaragua Thur morning packing sustained 75 mph winds, U.S. forecasters in Miami reported. At 10 a.m., the center of Ida was about 75 miles north of Bluefields, moving toward the northwest near 6 mph, The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

"The center of Ida will move across eastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras during the next couple of days," the report said.

The ninth named Atlantic hurricane of the season that ends Nov. 30 had hurricane-force winds extending outward up to 15 miles and tropical storm force winds up to 70 miles.

The center said as Ida moves further inland, it was forecast to weaken to tropical storm later in the day.

The hurricane was expected to produce as much as 15 to 20 inches of rain over eastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras, the center said.

A three-foot coastal storm surge was forecast to generate large and dangerous battering waves, although the center said water levels would begin to subside later in the day.