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

[spectre]

"The Superdome is built to withstand catastrophes; the roof is built to stand up to 200 MPH wind and even deep flood water wouldn't reach the second level 35 feet from the ground.

It has thus been used as an emergency shelter but is not designed for the task; in 1998 during Hurricane Georges problems included looting and supplying 14,000 people with necessities."

We'll see how right this article was..

[WestCoastGal]

"Mrs Kjam says he must have torqued the boss somewhere along the line :) "

He has been a little feisty on his show! I really love watching him.

[nevergore]

You can pray for them but the decisions they have already made have doomed hundreds if not thousands....

They should hang for their incompetence.....

The school district in NO moves more than 100K kids a day....Load them up and move the people out towards Houston or Jacksonville....

This problem didn't just sneak up on them....this planning should have been awaiting implementation of a evacuation order........

Continue to pray for them...I'll get the rope....

NeverGore :^)

[toomanygrasshoppers]

You're a good person, cgk. Everything will be OK. :>)

[MikefromOhio]

it depends on how far east.

If the storm is something less than about 40 miles to the east, they get the eyewall and consistent winds from the lakeside that will push it over the leevee.

West and you get water from the GOM and the Mississippi.

damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[cgk]

All I have heard is that it is supposed to shift north, not west, so hopefully you'll be okay! I am praying it lessens before it hits land... even hits somewhere less populated, less vulnerable.

[Admin Moderator]

Yep, you're stuck with me :0)

[Howlin]

The only thing ghoulishly exaggerated on this thread is your hyperbole in characterizing this thread.

You can have the last word.

[oceanview]

where would you go? I mean, what choice do some of these people have?

[Tarpon]

Just as forecast, the gap with the front is closing and it looks like its going northward.

[advance_copy]

That's bad news for Biloxi and Mobile. For New Orleans, better now if it goes just east rather than just west.

[GOP_Proud]

Laurie Dhue is back at FNC anchor chair.

[solitas]

If the idiots can't be bothered to TRY to censor live broadcasts, I hope the FCC crucifies them.

[jeffers]

"
The wind blowing OVER your roof is putting pressure DOWN on it much in the same way wind flowing
over race cars help push them down on the track.


No. Please don't add ignorance to this thread. Professor Bernoulli reminds us that air in motion has less
pressure than stationary air. Any framing carpenter can tell you about the straps they use to hold the roof
DOWN when the wind blows hard. "

It is more complicated than this. Even greatly simplified, there is a downward component due to the slanted roof, there is a lateral component due to the slanted roof, and there is a lifting component due to the pressure differential.

That said, I framed for more than 20 years, and yes, we use straps to hold the rafters down. Toenails usually don't hold much against any lifting force.

[U S Army EOD]

If you get strong enough winds across a dome, it will cause lift.

[Nita Nupress]

It depends on how many idiots like my wife's cousin think the levees will protect them.

Oh, man. Yeah, if I had someone I knew who was staying out of pure stubbornness and/or ignorance, I'd be livid. It's one thing to not have transportation or be an invalid or be responsible for someone who is, but these people staying for no good reason are nothing but possible future Darwin Award recipients.

[RDTF]

those grasshoppers are makin you too mushy :)

[nhoward14]

I will go on record as saying "me too". Based on my amateur knowledge of mechanical and structural engineering I got in college, I have serious doubts about the Superdome in this kind of weather.

The wind speeds at the roof level will be higher than at the ground level and the tall buildings around it are going to create a tunnel effect increasing the winds even further. Add to that heavy debris that will be flying through the air.

This is shaping up to be a 100 year storm. The building was almost certainly not designed for such a storm.

[oceanview]

Shep won't be able to get out of the city - he can go to the superdome with the other Fox reporter.

[Godebert]

There's supposedly also a shelter in Bunkie, but I personally would NOT recommend staying outdoors in that town. The chiggers (aka "redbugs") are brutal this summer. I got in a motor vehicle accident in Bunkie two months ago and, in the course of being transported by ambulance to the local hospital, I got about 40 chigger bites on my arms that still haven't faded away after all these weeks despite various forms of medical treatment. Don't risk it!

I'll second that about the chiggers. I still have scars from those buggers gettin' me at Ft. Polk back in '86.