Posted on 09/24/2005 9:58:36 AM PDT by Howlin
Hurricane Rita landfall is anticipated within the next few hours. Strong winds and heavy rains are battering southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.
MSM news crews are shouting over the howling winds as they foolishly describe blowing rain, swaying trees, and crashing waves through rain splattered camera lenses. It's a hurricane. We know these things already.
An 18 wheeler rig reportedly overturned on an I-10 bridge. The fate of the truck driver is unknown at this time. Reports of widespread power outages in Lake Charles. KPLC-TV Lake Charles local news has remarkably improvised their reporting from a remote location. They are taking calls from residents, NWS, and public utility representatives, and alerting residents to local conditions.
On the flip side, CNN announced to the world that law enforcement officers had evacuated from Port Arthur TX with the rest of the population. Engraved looter invitations would have been more elegant.
Godspeed to all those in the path of this storm.
The following links are self-updating:
Public Advisory Currently published every 3 hours 5A, 8A, 11A, 2P, etc. ET
NHC Discussion Published every six hours 6A, 11A, 6P, 11P
Three Day Forecast Track
Five Day Forecast Track
Rita Forecast Track Archive
Forecast Models
Buoy Data Western Gulf of Mexico
Houston/Galveston/Beaumont/Lake Charles Wx Watches/Warnings
Jefferson Co TX NWS Weather
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Louisiana
Hi Res Houston Flood Zone Map Slow load, great detail
Images:
Lake Charles Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Houston/Galveston Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Lake Charles Experimental Radar Outages and Delays May Occur
Storm Floater IR Loop
GOM WV Loop
GOM IR Still Image
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop
Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)
KHOU-TV/DT Houston
KPRC-TV/DT Houston
KTRK-TV/DT Houston
KTRH-AM Houston
KPLC-TV/DT Lake Charles/Lafayette
KSLA-TV/DT Shreveport
Additional Resources:
Hurricane Rita Freeper CHECK IN THREAD
FReeper Sign In Thread (LOCKED) Check in to let us know whether you are staying, going, and when you get there
FReepers Offering Lodging To Rita Evacuees People and/or Pet Friendly FReepers Offering Shelter
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
KPLC Lake Charles Evac Routes, news
KFDM Beaumont/Port Arthur News, evac info
Hurricane City
Wxnation Houston
Galveston Webcams
Golden Triangle Weather Page Provides Galveston Weather, Warnings, Radar, etc.
| Category | Wind Speed | Barometric Pressure | Storm Surge | Damage Potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Depression |
< 39 mph < 34 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Tropical Storm |
39 - 73 mph 34 - 63 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Hurricane 1 (Weak) |
74 - 95 mph 64 - 82 kts |
28.94" or more 980.02 mb or more |
4.0' - 5.0' 1.2 m - 1.5 m |
Minimal damage to vegetation |
| Hurricane 2 (Moderate) |
96 - 110 mph 83 - 95 kts |
28.50" - 28.93" 965.12 mb - 979.68 mb |
6.0' - 8.0' 1.8 m - 2.4 m |
Moderate damage to houses |
| Hurricane 3 (Strong) |
111 - 130 mph 96 - 112 kts |
27.91" - 28.49" 945.14 mb - 964.78 mb |
9.0' - 12.0' 2.7 m - 3.7 m |
Extensive damage to small buildings |
| Hurricane 4 (Very strong) |
131 - 155 mph 113 - 135 kts |
27.17" - 27.90" 920.08 mb - 944.80 mb |
13.0' - 18.0' 3.9 m - 5.5 m |
Extreme structural damage |
| Hurricane 5 (Devastating) |
Greater than 155 mph Greater than 135 kts |
Less than 27.17" Less than 920.08 mb |
Greater than 18.0' Greater than 5.5m |
Catastrophic building failures possible |
Previous Threads:
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VII
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VI
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part V
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part IV
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part III
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18
It is scary, the details you remember about folks.
No, I missed the new law you referenced. I bet you got a link, though!
Let me look it up....just trying to help !
Give me a few....
I understand why you are angry, but you might be wise to take a few days to reflect on it all before lashing out. Fact is that for Houston to have been devastated would have required less of a shift fromt the NHC Friday afternoon track than how much they were off with their Katrina forecast a half a day before it turned to move across Florida. Note how just a few hours after saying for a full day that Rita would stall out in NE Texas, it instead zoomed on out of that area. It was less than 12 hours ahead of landfall before we were pretty certain that the center wouldn't cross over Galveston. Did you miss the part of the track where it moved due west for a short time Fri nite while off the LA coast? Friday there were still multiple models that either predicted a direct Galveston hit or a turn to the southwest soon after landfall.
I understand being frustrated by the evacuation and how so many who weren't in storm surge danger helped clog the roads, but there was no way to be certain until nearly landfall that a storm this size wouldn't produce a storm surge of a deadly size in the Houston area. Even up to almost landfall the models were not nearly as much in agreement as they were at a similar point with Katrina. BTW, did you see the extensive damage in Jasper, TX? That is what Conroe would have received (similar distance inland) if Rita had come in near Galveston.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1490933/posts?q=1&&page=1
and maybe you'll understand why I posted what I did.
The devastation along the coast -- not at Lake Charles, but down at the coast -- has been known to FR all day today, from aerial photos of the area. This has been discussed at length at the above link. The MSM has been crowing that we dodged a bullet with Rita and have focused all of their attention on the new flooding in NOLA, neglecting to report, or even investigate, the extent of what Rita really did. Nothing impeded them from flying a chopper over these areas and taking a look -- as whoever took the aerial photos obviously did -- except their desire to keep the focus on NOLA. FNC finally broke this news black-out.
Congrats, Eaker. You'll find your new job is like herding chickens. Only, less rewarding.
Just got on line and answered mail first....Wonderful News. ALways helps to have the auctioneer on your side.....They know how to take care of their good customers.
Just getting here- Sorry if someone posted this
http://kamala.cod.edu/svr/
College of DuPage Meteorology
Severe Weather and Flash Flood Warnings
Note: This page will reload every 2 minutes. Warnings are listed with the most recent first.
NEW!! Click on the station ID to bring up list of recent severe weather statements.
I still haven't been able to reach my aunt in Splendora, Texas by phone. For two days now, it has just come in as an odd sounding busy signal, so I assume phone lines somewhere along the way have been knocked down.
Yiippeeeee!!!
Polished yet?
Ditto Tennessee here. Guess it's the Davy Crockett factor.
I have replied to you too! :)
And it's POLISHED to boot. I am thrilled.
We are still looking at it.
Also got a child's rocking chair, some crystal salt and peeper shakers, and the most fabulous painting of an old time, black funeral procession. It sounds dreary -- but it's not. Quite different from anything I've seen.
On TWC, they showed a report from Beaumont a short while ago. A reporterette from ABC was showing some regular damage, and she said Rita was far less destructive than Katrina. Anyone who saw that, and hasn't seen what happened at places like Cameron, would have a completely false impression of this storm and its aftermath.
I've reached the point where I can't stand seeing any footage showing regular damage anymore, or footage of NOLA's levees, as if they told the whole story of what happened. They show a house with half a roof gone, or some fallen trees, or some puddles on the street -- while down at the coast, entire towns have been wiped clean from the map, and lots of real estate is still completely underwater.
Clapping hands!! Sounds like a wonderful afternoon:)
Prayers to all of our FReepers that are still in harms way!
well, i'm about to go through lake charles, beaumont, port author and i'll tell ya;ll what i see,,,,i know this,,,,i just went through the western part of MIssissippi up from jackson to LA and there was worse damage all in mississippi still than we've even see in LA, of course we didn't go down to New Orleans,,,but still, Mississippi got the shaft on that one,,,,,and I'm afraid texas will get the shaft on this,,,i swear they could have an earthquake in CA and somehow it would affect New Orleans,,,,,
Bump to read when I get home.......
906 WFUS54 KBMX 252303 TORBMX ALC063-252330- /O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0151.050925T2302Z-050925T2330Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 602 PM CDT SUN
SEP 25 2005 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHEASTERN GREENE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA * UNTIL 630 PM CDT * AT 602 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF KNOXVILLE...OR ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF EUTAW...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THE DEVELOPING TORNADO WILL AFFECT AREAS UNION...SNODDY...AND MANTUA THROUGH 630 PM CDT.
"We have hundreds of 100-foot tall 3-foot diameter trees here."
Well, I guess everything's bigger in Alabama. It's hard to find a west-side Houson subdivision with "hundreds of 100-foot tall 3-foot diameter trees." It is prairie and bottom land. Further, since 90% of those houses went in after WWII as planned subdivisions (and probably 50% were built after 1980) the trees have not had a chance to get monsterously tall. In fact, since most developers used ash and other fast-growing, short-lived trees, many of these subdivisions are seeing the second generation of trees getting planted.
You might have a point. In 2100. I'll be dead by then.
388 WFUS54 KJAN 252300 TORJAN MSC105-252345- /O.NEW.KJAN.TO.W.0319.050925T2301Z-050925T2345Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 601 PM CDT SUN SEP 25 2005 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... OKTIBBEHA COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF STARKVILLE * UNTIL 645 PM CDT * AT 601 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES SOUTH OF STARKVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... RURAL OKTIBBEHA COUNTY AT 620 PM CDT
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