By 9 p.m. Tuesday, Covington County should begin to experience the beginnings of Tropical Storm Ida.

At 4:30 p.m. Monday, county commissioners met in an emergency meeting to declare a state of local emergency as Ida approached the county.

County EMA director Susan Carpenter updated the commissioners and said the National Weather Service is predicting an estimated 3-6 inches of rain and wind between 35 to 40 miles per hour between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Carpenter said residents should prepare for the possibility of tornados, and rainfall is expected to continue throughout Tuesday and on into Wednesday as the southwest corner of the storm makes its way across the county.