Hurricane Ida strengthens on way to Gulf of Mexico

* Ida strengthens after reforming as hurricane

* Expected to enter energy-rich Gulf of Mexico Sunday

* Mexico issues hurricane watch for parts of Yucatan

MEXICO CITY, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Hurricane Ida strengthened in the Caribbean off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday and was expected to move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico later in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Top sustained winds for Ida, which reached hurricane status again late on Saturday, picked up to 90 mph (145 kph), the Miami-based hurricane center said. It was a Category 1 storm, the lowest rank on the five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale.

"Some additional strengthening is expected during the next day or so, but a slow weakening is expected to begin on Monday," the hurricane center said in its 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) advisory.

Ida first became a hurricane on Thursday off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua before weakening over that country. It revived on Saturday.

The center of Ida was 110 miles (177 km) east-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and about 120 miles (193 km) south of the western tip of Cuba.