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

[Lacey]

NO westbound towards Houston?

I've heard/seen that too! Why no westbound evacuations? Isn't the projected path east so the people heading to Mobile aren't exactly going where it's clear. What am I missing?

[mware]

they are claiming 72K may fit in the super dome.

[Lijahsbubbe]

How nice of Fox News to put on the VP of an energy TRADING company to fuel market hysteria on Monday. No vested interest on his part, no siree...

Wasn't that just awful?

[rwfromkansas]

I was frankly wondering if this was going to hit in the middle of the night, not 8 a.m. or so as earlier thought....when I checked the sat earlier this afternoon.

I was like "wow...it is pretty close and going pretty fast."

[Warren_Piece]

They closed the bridges because the wind speeds have passed some threshold they've set.

[GiveEmDubya]

Thanks for providing those media links.

It looks like the cams on nola.com are out (at least, they didn't work for me).

[IndyTiger]

Is there a screening process going on as they enter?

Apparently that is exactly what they are doing. Now interviewing a lady who has been standing in line 3 hours waiting to get in.

[Windcatcher]

"Based on your "after Katrina" map of the oil rigs (LOLOL!); my wife and I just went out and filled our gas tanks for $2.46. I have a feeling that will be considered CHEAP in the near future."

"Just did the same. Ony I wish I had paid $2.46 (paid $2.97 at the cheapest station around)."

Ditto. There's a privately-owned (non-franchised) gas station near us that has regular for $2.45 and premium for $2.65 (they don't have 89 octane). We just topped off. After tomorrow we might not see prices like these again for a long time. The Philly/PA refineries are just a couple of miles from here, so gas is normally cheap, but PA's %$*^%& $0.31 gas tax doesn't help >:^(

[dfwgator]

We came awfully close with Andrew, had the storm been only five miles north of where it hit, the damage totals would have probably been tripled as Miami would have been devastated. Scary considering how costly it was, as it was.

[pax_et_bonum]

I dread the day we get a storm near this magnitude. There are so many here that have never experienced a hurricane.

And so much new development all along the coast.

I know.

I'd be long gone.

I'd have been packed on Friday and out early Saturday.

[rwfromkansas]

the bad news is this means even less time to evac

[Trust but Verify]

The governor of LA said mid-morning? FNC meteorologist just said 3-4 AM!

[sageb1]

"The Pitt theater, and the first time I saw It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World with my dad..."

Bless you for sharing these memories. Makes me feel like I'm closer to visualizing the childhood home of my best friend and closer to him as well. He would have loved reading this stuff and adding his own stories. He had a role as an extra in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I remember him trying to point himself out, "Up there! On the left! Did you see me?"

[steveegg]

Thank Mike. He put the list together; I just got it up first.

[hershey]

The look on their faces was astounding. Bland, like a brick wall. Not one iota of panic. Then on the weather channel earlier someone who's been through many of these really bad storms down there said the big danger afterward with flooding is poisonous snakes seeking the high ground, and pretty soon there you are, surrounded by snakes. He said many people get bitten and die. This is under-reported, too. Along with electrified water...where you step into water that has downed live power lines in it and get zapped.

[JellyJam]

Thanx, Ian. Godspeed to everyone in harm's way.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Janice Dean on Fox has been on the brink of tears all day.

[Dog]

God bless this woman on Fox.

[conservative cat]

I'm beginning to wonder how he got this gig instead of Whorealdo.

Didn't Whorealdo just have another kid in the last year? As much of a Whorealdo as he is...he still has a wife who might have been able to put a foot down.

[nhoward14]

Ummmm... I was talking about the Ark of the Covenant... yeah, that's it.

I'll go hang my head in shame now.