Classes for Monday Aug. 30 have been canceled in preparation for Tropical Storm Ida, according to an email to students and faculty from President Tania Tetlow.

Classes scheduled for Friday afternoon were canceled Thursday evening in order to give students time to evacuate or gather supplies for the storm. Tropical Storm Ida is expected to make landfall on the Louisiana coast as a Category 3 storm either late Sunday night or early Monday morning, according to Nola.com.

“The current forecast still predicts that the storm will hit well west of us, but regardless, it seems that we are in for serious weather on Monday,” Tetlow said.

Tetlow encouraged on-campus students with families within driving distance to spend the weekend at home to help the university manage the rest of the on-campus student population during the storm. Tetlow again encouraged all students to begin making their preparations before tropical weather reaches New Orleans.

“Please prepare today, as we continue to send out very specific advice about batteries and bottled water,” Tetlow said. “And please pray for all of those who may be affected.”