Hurricane Katrina, Live Thread, Part V

NHC - NOAA ^ | 28 August 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Extremely dangerous Hurricane Katrina is bearing down on the North Central Gulf of Mexico. Mandatory evacuation of New Orleans is finally underway. Louisiana officials are warning of complete failure to levy systems, and pleading with people to leave low lying areas. For those who choose to stay, they are recommending picks and axes for breaking through to access their roofs during flooding.

Due to the size and intensity of this storm, all interests in the North Gulf of Mexico should be rushing hurricane preparations to completion.

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:

http://www.wjbo.com - BR radio station. Callers calling in and describing traffic etc.
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
WKRG-TV/DT Mobile (WMP) - mms://wmbcast.mgeneral.speedera.net/wmbcast.mgeneral/wmbcast_mgeneral_aug262005_1435_95518

Hurricane Katrina, Live Thread, Part IV
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

[MinuteGal]

Was your comment supposed to be directed at me?

Leni

[mware]

plane just flew through the eye. It is getting stronger.

[Jeff Head]

I believe Gilbert in 1988 had 185 MPH winds and a reading of 888. It his Jamaica and then the Yucatan. There may have been one other hurricane with a lower reading, but I cannot rember which it was.

[Gabz]

the smells and light and heat and wonders and frustrations and marvels that are that city....home of my childhood, how I have missed you...and now will I ever get to see you again?

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Knitting}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I am weeping with you.

[sheikdetailfeather]

180mph may become official soon per Fox meterologist. 902 MB

[Erik Latranyi]

Per FNC, Katrina down to 902 millibars, 180mph sustained winds.

[MamaB]

The eye is 40 miles across now.

[LA Woman3]

They aren't stopping the evacuations, just the flow direction?? That means they only had 24 full hours to exit with the contraflow. Great plan.

[berkeleybeej]

RE: news stations / reporters, etc.

I was wondering what decisions the news organizations are making about their satellite trucks. I guess the reporters can hightail it to hotels, etc to get high enough off the ground. But those trucks cost beaucoup bucks - what are they going to do about them?

[tomkat]

I didn't hear her say what song, but I can hear it as clear as a bell, ya know ... ?

[BJungNan]

And here it is, Sunday afternoon. The devastation will be underway within 12 hours. Now they raise the alarm.

How do they evactuate 480,000 people in 12 hours or so?

[Txsleuth]

Oh, my...thanks for the update, I think...sigh

[Howlin]

Don't you love Google Earth?

Look at this one he just did:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1472358/posts?page=68#68

[AntiGuv]

If the eye passes to the east, they will get it from both sides. It's as simple as that:

Maestri says imagine what happens if a huge storm hits just to the east of the city.

"The hurricane is spinning counter-clockwise, it's now got a wall of water in front of it some 30 to 40 feet high, as it approaches the levees that surround the city, it tops those levees," describes Maestri. "The water comes over the top - and first the communities on the west side of the Mississippi river go under. Now Lake Ponchetrain— which is on the eastern side of the community—now that water from Lake Ponchetrain is now pushed on the population that is fleeing from the western side, and everybody's caught in the middle. The bowl now completely fills and we've got the entire community under water, some 20 to 30 feet under water."

Sorry to say, but your intuition is just plain wrong.

[abb]

Insurance?

[Tuxedo]

any word on how many are staying put in NO (resisting orders to leave?). Some of those Cajun folks are pretty stubborn. And also, any estimate on how many are still in the city? Baton Rouge is only upriver about a hundred miles or so... any evacs going on there?

[katykelly]

mark

[mware]

Try 100,00 not 480,000.

[Tarpon]

Last I saw, 215 mile diameter hurricane force, 400 mile diameter TS.

Katrina was about 50 mile diameter hurricane force when it left Florida mainland.

[Palladin]

I hate to admit it, but Fidel Castro did a better job of evacuating his poor and elderly to high ground during the last hurricane down there.