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

[DouglasKC]

The contraflow is in place--just beyond the web cam views. All lanes are outbound from NO to BR.

Thank you. That makes me feel better. Those idiots on television should make that clear occasionally.

[Howlin]

Just about everything that can be "perfect" with this storm is, in fact, perfect.


Horrifying.

[spectre]

"This is going to be devastating"..

I have visions of people being swept away like in the Great Tsunami, if they get caught up in this.

sw

[mewzilla]

The folks who spent a lot of time and money boarding up the windows on the first and second floors of buildings were engaged in a pointless effort.

Maybe not to them, though. They'll have done what they could.

[demkicker]

They're waiting for the President to order them to use the southbound lanes for northbound traffic. < /sarcasm>

You shouldn't have used the sarcasm tag.... Seriously!

[kcvl]

Not all of LA Guardsmen are in Iraq! Leave it to CNN & DNC to politicize a potential disaster.


Today's Louisiana Army and Air National Guard consists of 74 units spread among 43 cities and towns of the state and numbers some 11,500 Army and Air Guardsmen.

[Dog Gone]

Good luck and God bless. Check back in and let us know you're safe after this is over.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Believe it or not, they do have some plans for this scenario. Once the storms are over they can evacuate the dome by boat, if the bowl is filled. Could also bring in a pontoon bridge to get the people out to the higher roadways, levees, and other buildings while waiting to finish the post-storm evacuations. But probably won't be necessary, because the dome is already on some of the highest ground in the area, and holes could be punched through the levees to drain off some of the water. Not all of the city is below sea level.

[rwfromkansas]

and what do you know, it is tracking per the NHC schedule. This is NOT going to Mobile. DT is so stubborn.

I repeat.......this is NOT going to Mobile.

GET OUT OF NO NOW!!!!!! It will likely go to your east a bit, but as strong as this is, that will not matter.

[nwctwx]

In many ways, a 20-25 foot storm surge will act like a tsunami. Anyone who faces that has very grim prospects of surviving.

[MplsSteve]

I'm not tearing up.

Maybe it's because I'm having a hard time comprehending the level of destruction that could happen.

I've read many many accounts since last night and still, it's hard to fathom the intensity of the storm and the damage it'll cause.

[oceanview]

I think Fox News made a mistake - CNN repeated just now that it will be about Katrina.

they have got to start using military transports to get people out.

[babygene]

A millibar is 1/1000 of normal atmospheric pressure, which is 14.7 pounds per square inch absoluate. So 1000 millibar is atmospheric pressure. That means that 1 milibar is equal to .0147 pounds per square inch. 68.02 milibars equals 1 pound per square inch.

They start with 1000 milibars which is atmospheric pressure, so a category 5 hurricane with a 920.08 mb rating would mean the atmospheric pressure, instead of being 14.7 lbs would be 1.16424lbs less, or 13.5 lbs.

[bwteim]

"Mandatory evacuation per Nagin!"

From a recent news article:

"[ The mayor ] exempted hotels from the evacuation order because airlines have already cancelled all flights."

http://www.wdsu.com/news/4902919/detail.html

[dawn53]

Who's DT?

[spycatcher]

Good point. I just hope Bush doesn't get blamed for not ordering airlines to pick up passengers today, etc.

[NautiNurse]

Thank you for checking in here--Prayers for your safety. Please check back in as soon as you can.

[Founding Father]

WWL and state police begging people to use I-10 east; contraflow in effect, shoulders open to provide two additional lanes.

[Laurita]

Some fool will be out there with his camcorder. It happens every time. It'll wash ashore without it's owner and maybe the footage will be viewable.

[rwfromkansas]

Since it will come in east of NO, but by about 30 miles at most probably, they will still have some really rough stuff to deal with.

They may be able to avoid having the worst flooding, however.

And probably hundreds would still die.