Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VI

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

[NautiNurse]

Extremely dangerous Hurricane Katrina is bearing down on the North Central Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans metro area. Thousands of people did not evacuate New Orleans. Outer bands of Katrina are reaching the Louisiana coast.

Due to the size and intensity of this storm, all interests in the North Gulf of Mexico should be in their safe locations.

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:

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

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

[exhaustedmomma]

My husband works in the oil production industry. He says he expects gas to go up 40 to 50 cents a gallon after this hurricane. blah.

He also had a report of an off shore rig with a reading of 215 mph before the instrumentation and pump were blown off. That was about an hour ago.

Prayers... prayers... prayers for all in the path of this hurricane!

[Last Dakotan]

Stop by the engineer's house tonight and measure how bad his hands are shakin' when he's pouring the scotch.

You are correct - engineers do drink Scotch.

The only designs that made me nervous is when a structure is not used for what it was designed for. The Super Dome however was designed for this.

[Palladin]

But I'm concerned with the oil and gas surface residue laying on top of the water. Could that catch fire?

*****
Yes, it could. That's what happened in the great Johnstown flood. Many people surviving in their floating homes were then killed by fire from kerosene in the water being ignited.

[KakaduDreamer]

Just filled up the car here in Porterville, CA. If it makes you feel any better....it's $2.85/gal here. OUCH! I think we'll be seeing a huge price jump in the next few days....

[cajungirl]

Laughing again.

I am learning alot about Freepers tonite, yall sure know how to get around these issues!

[Howlin]

A few days ago 160 mph would have scared us to death.

[al baby]

Boy friend maybe

[U S Army EOD]

OMG did you say French AIDS!!!!!!!

[gopwinsin04]

What in the world is Brian Williams doing in the Superdome? Does he have a death wish or something...

[commish]

You know what I think it was? We (civilians) tend to focus on MPH...like Oh boy! Now it's JUST 160 MPH..Bastardi's point is to focus on the science of the 908mb..he said the wind speed will basically "obey" the pressures and the wind speed will fluctuate- so when Bill suggested now it's only 160...Bastardi just lost it.

Also, the TPC is backing off the 175 of earlier today. I will have to find which advisory/discussion it was in, but they are saying that 175 may have been an error.

IOw she may have topped at 165, so that makes 160 even less of a weakening and more likely just a flucuation.

Bottom line, 175 or 160, is like asking would you rather be run over by a freight train or by an 18-wheeler.

[Pirogue Captain]

"",..pumped alot of tang down in New Orleans"
Funny... I always thought it was tane. (Octane?)

They'll come back. New Orleans, that is."


-----

It is either 'tane or 'pane, as in window panes. It SURE isn't 'tang. 'Tang doesn't even come close to sounding right. Google comes up with very few hits as 'tang. That ain't it!

[steveegg]

He also had a report of an off shore rig with a reading of 215 mph before the instrumentation and pump were blown off. That was about an hour ago.

Uh-oh!

[dawn53]

And the other Fox reporter is going to stay in the Dome.

I didn't understand why Shep was talking about fires and being prepared for a fire.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Joe from Accuweather says not to pay attention to that, it all depends on where it's measured; his concern is the low pressue and as long as the pressure remains this low we're in for big trouble in the Big Easy.

[homemom]

Great logic on sharing the chocolate!

I'm glad my husband doesn't like chocolate, but potato chips. My kids are the ones who have been raiding my chocolate stashes lately . . . gotta find better hiding places.

[fatima]

We have many prayer threads going.

[alancarp]

News-readers and reporters can be irritating with some of their simplistic assumptions and idiotic questions. I'm sure Bastardi is tired, had a long day, and has little patience left.

You're right, of course, but there's more to it than that: Joe B. has ALWAYS been all about using weather foreasting as a public service/public safety thing. He gets irked any time somebody starts getting giddy about the possibility that something might be leaving/weakening/etc -- when he knows it really isn't. That's the case here.

If there's some idiot out there thinking "Well heck, this thing is weakening -- prolly be only a Cat 3 or less at this rate", then that's exactly the kind of person Joe wants to protect but being blunt and erring on the side of safety.

[hole_n_one]

That field will be 6 feet under tomorrow morning.......

[steveegg]

Bottom line, 175 or 160, is like asking would you rather be run over by a freight train or by an 18-wheeler.

More like freight train or Amtrak.

[Gabz]

AA few days ago 160 mph would have scared us to death.

Strange, isn't it?