Tropical Storm Rita Live Thread

NHC - NOAA ^ | 18 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Tropical Storm Rita has developed from TD 18 in the Atlantic Ocean. TS Rita is currently located north of Hispaniola, the eastern tip of Cuba, and ESE of Nassau, Bahamas. Hurricane watches and warnings are in effect for portions of Florida. Check for local weather statements.

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
Forecast Models
Buoy Data SE Florida
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Florida

Images:

Storm Floater IR Loop
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop
Florida Radar/Sat Loop Caution: Broadband users only!
Miami Long Range Radar Loop
Key West Long Range Radar Loop
Miami Experimental Radar Still Image
Key West Experimental Radar Still Image

Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)
WFOR-TV/DT Miami (WMP) - http://dayport.wm.llnwd.net/dayport_0025_live"
WSVN-TV/DT Miami (WMP) - mms://216.242.118.141/broadband

Other Resources:

Florida East Coast Surf Reports Lots of great info here, including surf cams
Central Florida Hurricane Center
Hurricane City

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

[CindyDawg]

That's the way it will be here at the first hint. Between us and Mexico, stuff goes fast. I lived in Crosby during Alicia. I can't remember the name of the grocery store in Highlands but every day we would wait in line to buy ice from the truck as it came in.

[gab1279]

Port Arthur here. :/ Just great. We haven't evacuated since 1992, it was the most horrible experince of my life. (Evacuating that is!)

I'm in college in Beaumont and have three big exams this week. So we're stuck here. Plus my dad works at a refinery.

We're at the mercy of others. What more will it take for them to call off school for at least Friday?

If they don't tomorrow, then I think we're catching some of that Nagin disease...

[GOP_Thug_Mom]

Ronnie's?? :)

we moved here in '99 from Ft. Worth, so it was a friend and fellow freeper who told me she worked there when it was "Ronnie's".

[CindyDawg]

I think that was it. It was over 20 years ago. The store was on the right as you were going toward interstate 10.

[Miztiki]

Most of the models have shifted away from Houston a bit. I hope it stays that way.

[GOP_Thug_Mom]

yeah--it's still the only grocery store in Highlands. It's been a Gerlands for quite a few years, but they just changed it to a Food Town.

Small world, isn't it?

I guess we'll be going up to Ft. Worth. I just don't know what to do with our two cats. They do not ride in cars...

[GOP_Thug_Mom]

oh, yes! thanks for posting that. they must have updated in the past 20 minutes. good news. will keep praying.

[CindyDawg]

Really small. I'm from Ft. Worth too. still have family there. When I was a child we lived in Alvin and just barely got out with Carla. I guess it scared my mom so bad that every time a storm came into the gulf we went to Ft. Worth. I used to get such grief from my teachers for missing school. We finally moved back for good when I was 13.

[CindyDawg]

Can you put them in carriers?

[JoeSixPack1]

Just jumped in to report some nasty feeder bands up here in Port St. Lucie, Fl. Lots of thunder, rain, not too much wind, but I've grown accustomed to cat 3's for breakfast and a cat 4 for lunch! (Charlie & Francis) :-)

[Strategerist]

GUNA consensus is now at Corpus Christi. ECMWF (which is not part of GUNA) seems to have shifted N a bit to between Galveston and LA but with the public maps avaliable for it it's hard to tell.

[GOP_Thug_Mom]

Wow!

regarding my cats--they go psycho. but maybe I could ask the vet for tranquilizers...

I sure like the latest computer models, though! Hope there's good news in the morning.

[SauronOfMordor]

It looks like the NHC track has it hitting around Galveston/Houston as a Cat 3 or 4. Time to fill up the gas tanks.

Oil was up over $3 , gasoline up $0.25 in yesterday's commodity trading in anticipation of the Texas rigs getting hit this time

[raygun]

Latest model iterations are showing Corpus Christi at about 7 A.M. CDT. (just about equally between high and low tide) - high tide on the 23 at 11:43 P.M. at +2.20'. Galveston could see 60 KT gusts, Port Aurther will see a fresh breeze coming off the gulf (high tide at 1:57 A.M 24 Sep @ +1.80').

That's still 108 hours out, how long can you hold your breath? I'm really not comfortable with an assessment until about 72 to 56 hours out.

[laz]

I'm in Cutler Ridge, about halfway between downtown Miami and Homestead. Had some pretty stiff gusts over the past couple of hours, but hardly any rain at all. No lightning or thunder offshore either. My area got hit hard by Katrina three weeks ago, with 80 MPH sustained winds and about 20 inches of rain. I don't expect Rita to have anywhere near that impact here.

[NautiNurse]

[laz]

Very intense rain started a few minutes ago here, with heavy wind gusts.

[NautiNurse]

I can see that from the radar. She's pulling it all together.

[laz]

NWS just issued a tornado watch for my entire area until 5 PM. That's over 12 hours. I'm located less than a mile from the coast, with no barrier islands, and while Rita's winds and rain don't worry me as much as Katrina's did, the thought of waterspouts is sobering indeed.

[NautiNurse]

I hear you. During Dennis in July, we were under tornado watches and warnings for 26 hours straight. Was awakened at 6AM two mornings in a row with tornado warnings. Rude awakenings...