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

[jdm]

"what are the mb's?"

Megabytes?

[cyborg]

And housepets :(

[numberonepal]

... I hope places like Mobile and other places on the Gulf coast are taking proper precautions.

They are, I assure you. After Ivan and Dennis in less than a year, they're taking it very seriously.

[pies]

OMG! But he got his family to a safe place. He had his plan ready.

[~Vor~]

""what are the mb's?"

That would be millibars....pressure reading....

[Petronski]

I was guessing Milwaukee Brewers.

[Strategerist]

http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/~kossin/articles/annularhurr.pdf

[LibSnubber]

"Where ever this hurricane goes it will cause massive destruction."

I believe the same. We're about to experience nature's version of "shock and awe".

[advance_copy]

"mb's" are milibars (barometric pressure)

[Timeout]

Local Mobile station is predicting 20 foot surge here. It wasn't clear to me whether that was based on N.O. landfall or whether they were saying that would be the case if it turns and comes to Mobile.

People here are watching, but not boarding up yet. I'm high up and about 15 miles inland. Don't plan on boarding up unless we get a turn northward. If that happens, we'll be the first ones boogeying up I-65...again.

[tomkat]

For those of us a tad less conversant with isobars and the like,
this shot is from one of my bookmarks on WeatherUnderground as of 0945EDT.

Prayers are all well and good, but anyone in the path of this thing would be well advised to get the hell out and do your prayin' on the road...

[janetjanet998]

this is a type of storm you see in those far fetch weather disaster movies.....
imagine a movie called "CAT 6: total destruction" about a super sized hurricane with 175 MPH winds hitting near NOLA most of us world be laughing right and saying "yeah right, whatever"?
i;m praying instead

[lifacs]

Thanks overtaxed. He was the last one left on my list unaccounted for since Katrina hit South Florida. Glad he finally got power back up and checked in.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Regarding the traffic shot CNN and Fox keep showing, where all those cars are at a near standstill in the left lane, that location appears to be on I-10 in New Orleans, just east of where cars can shift over to the reversed eastbound lanes. Because of how the contraflow is set up, you have to choose your ultimate destination there, as the reverse lanes are directed towards Baton Rouge where the freeway splits about 20 miles to the west. I-10 goes to Baton Rouge (and Lafayette, where the freeway again splits to Shreveport or Houston) while I-55 goes north to Jackson, Mississippi. It also appears that the transition cutover path from westbound to eastbound lanes is only 1 lane, hence the big backup in the left lane. Notice how the far right lanes are moving smoothly, because not as many people are trying to head north. Other reports have also noted how traffic is much lighter on I-55, and in fact the MS Emergency Center spokesman said that they were a bit surprised and disappointed at how few were heading north out of Louisiana.

BTW, that Fox reporter with the bad hair in Jackson Square is pretty much FOS. I've heard him say several false statements that were contradicted elsewhere.

[LibFreeOrDie]

I thought I just saw a 40 ft wave report in the middle of the gulf.

WWL-TV was reporting up to 45 ft waves near storm's center a couple of hours ago...

[numberonepal]

I figured he already had been hit by a number of hurricanes (from Pat O'Brians).

May his puke be pink.

[Aquamarine]

*Anyone wanting to speed up the time it takes to load this thread will need to go to the top of this page and click on Topics then click on More, scroll down and click on My Preferences.
There will be a choice for messages per page. I have mine set on 20 messages per page.*

[Revel]

"The women who are currently on the weather channel are not able to cover this with the proper degree of seriousness."

TWC is worthless. I just watched it for 15 minute right through the ten of time frame and they did not even give the wind speed before they went back to all there automatic crap. Finally got the wind speed from Fox when the reporter mentioned it. It sounds strong.

[demkicker]

I'm already grieving for the housepets too.... People first, housepets second, of course.

[Petronski]

Fox News: Tropical-Storm-Force winds being measured 185 miles from center.