Live Thread - Hurricane Katrina, Part IV (Update: Now a Category 5 )

NOAA - NHC ^ | 27 August 2005 | NOAA - NHC

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane warnings and watches are posted. Hurricane Katrina continues to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico. The forecast models continue to converge upon New Orleans. However, all interests in the northern Gulf of Mexico should follow the path of this very large and dangerous storm, and be prepared for a major hurricane landfall. There have been reports of coastal animals leaving in droves for higher ground. Meanwhile, New Orleans continues to suggest that residents evacuate.

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
Navy Storm Track
Katrina Track Forecast Archive Nice loop of each NHC forecast track for both three and five day
Forecast Models
Alternate Hurricane Models via Skeetobite
Bouy Data Louisiana/Mississippi
Buoy Data Florida

Images:

New Orleans/Baton Rouge Experimental Radar Subject to delays and outages - and well worth the wait

Mobile Long Range Radar Loop

New Orleans/Baton Rouge Radar

Ft. Polk, LA Long Range Radar Loop

Northwest Florida Long Range Radar

Storm Floater IR Loop
Storm Floater Still & Loop Options
Color Enhanced IR Loop

Other Resources:

Hurricane Wind Risk Very informative tables showing inland wind potential by hurricane strength and forward motion
Central Florida Hurricane Center
New Orleans Web Cams Loads of web cam sites here. The sites have been very slow due to high traffic
New Orleans Music Online Couldn't resist--love that jazz
Golden Triangle Weather Page Nice Beaumont weather site with lots of tracks and graphics
Hurricane City
Crown Weather Tropical Website Offers a variety of storm info, with some nice track graphics

Live streaming:
copy/paste into player:

WWL-TV/DT New Orleans (WMP) - mms://beloint.wm.llnwd.net/beloint_wwltv
WVTM-TV/DT Birmingham (WMP) - mms://a1256.l1289835255.c12898.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1256/12898/v0001/reflector:35255
WDSU-TV/DT New Orleans (WMP) - http://mfile.akamai.com/12912/live/reflector:38202.asx
Hurricane City (Real Player) - http://hurricanecity.com/live.ram
ABCNews Now (Real Player) - http://reallive.stream.aol.com/ramgen/redundant/abc/now_hi.rm

Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part III
Katrina Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm 12

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

[Torie]

Well the point doesn't matter whether he has the power or not. He just needs to act. He can be sued later, as it were, for saving lives. It is all a BS CYA act and disgusting and disappointing.

[NautiNurse]

NEW PRESSURE REPORT: 936 mb

eeesh

[bannie]

I think that I still believe that it will smooth out or something. I can't grasp this.

[alancarp]

Yep - that's buoy #42003, and here's the rest of the interesting data:

Wave height 33.8 ft with a 10-14 second period (wave cycle)
Wind gust 62.2 kts, with 50.5 kt sustained winds
pressure at 29.21 and falling (duh)
water temp is 86 degrees (!!)

[MplsSteve]

New Orleans also has a fair number of tall buildings (likely office buildings) in the downtown area.

It seems to me that maybe some of the building owners could open up the upper floors and give people a chance to get above the rising water.

OTOH, I'm not sure how many of these building owners would want people from the 'hood (lets admit it - NO is a crime-ridden pit) staying in these offices.

[Termite_Commander]

Another 3 MB down, then.

[snowsislander]

The latest "Vortex" data:

VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 28/03:26:30Z
B. 24 deg 59 min N
  086 deg 23 min W
C. 700 mb 2558 m
D. NA  kt
E. NA  deg     nm
F. 119 deg 114 kt
G. 023 deg 020 nm
H.        936  mb
I.  12 C/ 3052 m
J.  19 C/ 3048 m
K.  15 C/ NA
L. CLOSED WALL
M. C30
N. 12345/ 7
O. 0.02 / 1  nm
P. AF300 1512A KATRINA      OB 13
MAX FL WIND 114 KT NE QUAD 03:20:40 Z
LIGHTNING OBSERVED BRIEFLY IN NE EYEWALL

[NautiNurse]

...He says he is having someone research his power to order an evacuation...

I swear I wouldn't believe it--except I heard it myself--then I still had trouble believing it.

[alancarp]

The only good news for those idiots (that are supposed to put the safety of the public at paramout interest) is that I-10 East and West is an easy evac, relatively speaking.

Just heard the snip about schools being closed on Monday and Tuesday in Jefferson parish. WELL DUHH!!!

[CajunConservative]

I personally wouldn't want them in my building. They looted the Superdome the last time it was used as a shelter.

[beyond the sea]

I heard the Superdome is actually 20 ft off the ground to start.

How does it stay up there?

;-)

[pollyg107]

I was watching WWL a little while ago and they were interviewing Houma residents. They were having a shrimp boil and said they weren't going to leave. It is so sad. They've never had a cat 4 storm down there and they don't know what they're facing.

[Gabz]

A tragedy is in the making, a great tragedy, unless mother nature does something unexpected.

I fear you are correct, we can only pray for the unexpected, and for any and all in the path.

[Bogey78O]

Currently located just north of I-12 in Covington

[beyond the sea]

............and Holloway.

[Flux Capacitor]

It's hard for people to ever get too angry at Nagin because it's too hard to FORGET who his predecessor was. But GEEEZ, Ray....

-Dan

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Is that true ? that animals are leaving the area by their own ? sort of like when the tsunami hit in India last year when the animals left low areas and headed into the mountains.

[NautiNurse]

did you evacuate?

[fatima]

Aha Lawsuits.