Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VIII

NOAA - NHC ^ | 29 August 2005 | NOAA - NHC

[NautiNurse]

Category 4 Hurricane Katrina is approaching landfall in Eastern Louisiana. At 4:00AM EDT the storm's center was about 90 miles south of New Orleans.

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

Lake Ponchartrain Real Time Water Level

Wind Speed Data

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:

Cut and Paste:

http://www.wwltv.com/perl/common/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=beloint_khou&props=livenoad

Fully-linked version of the live feeds (just in case a few people don't want to first open up WMP to cut-and-paste) -

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 WDSU-TV/DT New Orleans via WESH-TV/DT Orlando - http://mfile.akamai.com/12912/live/reflector:38843.asx

Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VII
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VI
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part V
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

[SunnySide]

It is cloudy and drizzly in the Memphis area. We are going to get 30 mph winds tonight and then the worst tomorrow.

......
Does any weather type (meteorologists) out there know, will this hurricane have tornado spin offs following it from behind? I think people should stay put until the weather forecast is clear enough. Water and downed electrical things aren't good to be walking around in.

[maggief]

Windows are blown out on a building in downtown New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina batters Louisiana on Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

[Johnny Crab]

Fact: most of the people at the superdome are poor. Most are minorities. The govt. did not try to evacuate them at all. They just shoved them into the Superdome.

Actually they are the majority in NOLA. We were there from 1959 ~ 1989. Betsy(in River Ridge):street flooding, no water or electricity for 2+ weeks.

You may find that "minority" contractors are favored and probably did the roof. I'll ask a family member(P.E. Civil Engineer) who stayed in NOLA, has worked there since 1982, and has mentioned the roof in previous storms. She left NOLA Friday as she knows what could happen.

BTW we have 3 families from Slidell, Mandeville, and Covington in our small three bedroom home 100 miles west of Houston(I had to step over children camped out on oour floor as I left for work this morning). The family from Slidell has 4 small children and they will probably go home to find nothing but a slab. Prayers for them and their children are welcome.

[Guenevere]

Thanks for keeping this thread going....
..don't you need a nap about now :))

[cgk]

The Gov of MS was on Fox last night. He said as soon as they compared Katrina to Camille they knew it was serious. He seemed to be pretty on the ball about what they were doing for their people. I hope they were, as they are bearing the brunt of it.

[RobFromGa]

But if we lose refining capacity, what would be the point?

If we don't have the refineries available, then it won't be used, but it should be made "available for use" up to the amount that is lost due to the temporary disruption caused by the act of God.

[bwteim]

Go here

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ahps.cgi?lix

for Weather Forecast Office New Orleans/Baton Rouge, LA Flood/River Warnings

[1Old Pro]

I'm done with you!

Thanks, I've seen experts come and go here.

[ChadGore]

Slidell got the eyewall this morning . . . Our prayers are with you and your family.

[hoosiermama]

Does NOLA not prepare for these situations, and provide special needs shelters (for the elderly and the sick), as well as transportation to the shelters?

Dang...I mean, Panama City's not perfect, but at least before every storm the local TV and radio stations broadcast repeatedly where the regular and special needs shelters are, and the county (working with the Red Cross) makes sure that there are enough shelters to accommodate those who need them. Also, we've got public and private groups who give free transportation to a shelter to anyone who needs it.

Doesn't NOLA do this?

The radio program I heard yesterday said that the shelters they had would have been fine for a catagory III hurricane, but the level of wind and potential for flooding made the regular shelters unusable.....The dome was the shelter of last resort....and they weren't even sure it would be safe....They used as many buses as possible (although the city buses were not working, people walked...Generally they did the best they could....

[Lazamataz]

Thanks.

BTW you are cute.

But in breaking with tradition, I won't hit on you.

Until later on this post.

Like right about here.

[nwctwx]

NO seemingly dodged a major bullet, as the storm managed to come in east of forecast (as as been the case all season - I pointed that out several times a few therads back). Damage will still be very severe over a large area when the clouds clear. Some people seem upset that NO got missed, I sure didn't want to see the worst case scenario myself.

[maggief]

Sorry, if these photos are slowing down the dial-ups. Let me know if I should stop.

[jeffers]

Thanks.

[DJtex]

"We're going through some unbelievable conditions. Water is seeping into the building. I'd say we've had at least a 20-feet [of] storm surge. It has washed away all our rental cars, and everything else [in the parking lot]...

The places where the power is out are not being televised. The places being televised are not the worst hit. So the impression is: "It's not that bad."

So foolish. There are going to be a number of deaths (less than 500, I hope), there will be tens of billions of damage. The worst part of the storm is the flooding--from the coast and inland up to 300-400 miles.

I lived in Corpus Christi thru several direct hits, including Celia and Allen. New Orleans may or may not escape the Lake flooding it. Either way, she is undergoing a few billion in damage. Unlike a tornado, Katrina is effecting 10,000 sq. miles more or less equally and simultaneously. We're such limited creatures, we have to have a soundbite to hold on to. So we hear from the news: "The worst is over for New Orleans" (meaning the Hyatt), never mind Gulfport, Biloxi, and the poorer sections of NO that the reporters are not seeing yet.

[WoofDog123]

"even some yankees."

You mean carpetbaggers?

[Gondring]

Isn't forced bussing a form of sexual harassment? ;-)

[dirtboy]

This is the point of possible worst surge for Biloxi - the winds are now coming out of the south and straight up the bay. And the bottom part of Mississippi is getting the worst of the eyewall.

NO was the greatest chance of absolute catrastrophe. But there will be tremendous damage inland from wind and flooding.

The storm went ashore at 135 mph, as a wide storm. So did Hugo. And Hugo wreaked hell all the way to Charlotte and beyond.

[bobdsmith]

nah if they wanted it to go fast they would get cable

[NautiNurse]

The inland wind damage from this storm will be substantial. As I mentioned a moment ago--Mobile appears to be taking a beating on the dirty side of this storm too.