Hurricane Rita Live Thread

NHC - NOAA ^ | 20 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Rita is in the Florida Straits, impacting the Florida Keys and South Florida Peninsula. Hurricane watches and warnings are in effect for numerous portions of South Florida. Check local weather statements for updates.

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

Rita Forecast Track Archive
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
Extra Large Miami Radar Broadband only
Extra Large Key West Radar Broadband 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)

WTVJ-TV/DT Miami (NBC6)
WFOR-TV/DT Miami (CBS 4)
WSVN-TV/DT Miami (Fox)

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

Previous Threads:
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18

[bmwcyle]

Just get everyone to DC this weekend.

Freep with Jim Robinson at Walter Reed

[samantha]

If anyone can get at least 200 miles North of where the best guess that the storm will be making landfall, please do so. When Hurricane Jeanne hit Ft Pierce last Sept 26 at 120-125 mph we were 60 miles inland as the crow flies and it nailed us at the same approx wind velocity, and continued on its destruction through central Florida and out the West coast. Please try to get way out of the continued path of the storm unless there are high elevations like Mountains to slow the storm down and break it up there will be terrible destruction similar to where it first had landfall. I don't know if that part of Texas has Mountains or not, I hope so because Florida's terrain is mostly flat and did not stop much at all.

[Howlin]

If I tell you to leave, will you? You know how bossy I am! :-)

[Flyer]

Do you have a link for that info?

I need to send it to my boss.

[half-cajun]

All right. Y'all are making me nervous now. I live in Katy (western suburb of Houston). Is there anyone from Katy that is evacuating.

[realpatriot]

We in Coastal Mississippi are sick of NOLA coverage also! We were hit MUCH harder. They (Blanco, Nagin) were just stupid.

[MikefromOhio]

I don't think the economy will matter of the LOOP takes another hit and doesn't survive.

Even if we started to drill in ANWR today, it would be a while until any of that oil hit the markets....

Houston has been hit before. They are much more prepared than NO was.

We need to get the Port of New Orleans up and operational. Where else will the farmers that use the Mississippi to get their crops out go too if NO takes ANOTHER hit???

thankfully it won't this time around.

[SouthTexas]

Maybe it's for a reason. Just to show the rest of the world what a bunch of redneck cowboys can do. ;)

[Syntyr]

"anyone from houston notice how all the phone lines were jammed already this afternooon???"

Yep been getting CONGESTION all afternoon.

[No Blue States]

I searched for available rooms in Abilene and got this list of over a dozen. phone numbers included. $39-$89. (In case anyone cant find an available room closer than 100 miles west of DFW, I heard someone say they are filling quick)

Abilene Lodging

I would go west of FW before going north of Dallas if they fill up all the way to the DFW area. It might be wise to make reservations somehwere tonight before the rush. Hopefully yall can find something closer ot the coast. If I can help anyone let me know.

[dandelion]

Umm, a little more East than that! But, you're getting closer... closer... OW! You bumped right into me! We're about 160 miles north of Houston, so I have a very big concern about wind velocity even this far inland...

Not to mention I worry about all our neighbors here in Texas and down to the coast. This looks to be very bad - please pray for us all!

[DrewsMum]

New Orleans problems were because of the levees that broke


so that contributed more to the problem than the hurricane

[Sprite518]

As of 8 PM EST

"MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...105 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 969 MB"

[MikefromOhio]

We were hit MUCH harder.

Yes you were. there isn't CRAP left in some areas. NO wasn't even the hardest hit in Louisiana, that would be Slidell....

[Howlin]

And the graft and corruption that spent the levee money on other stuff.

[Dog Gone]

They actually put out that notice? The panic will start tomorrow. It was a frenzy until now.

I was hoping the panic would be delayed until we got a higher certainty of landfall.

Well, crap. Rita is going to be memorable around here even it hits Mexico.

[lonestar]

Where are you? I'm in SE Texas--about 60 miles north of Pt. Arthur. If it comes in around Galveston, we'll get rain and high winds--hopefully no tornados.

My friends went tonight to evacuate thir daughter who started PT school last week at the med school. She lives a block off the beach.

[FlJoePa]

If the windows are set in to the frame of the house a couple of inches, try to find some "Plylox" clips. Simple clips that slide on the edges of cut plywood and lock the plywood in place. In other words, secure with NO drilling or ruining the face of your home.

I'd love to use them, but I'm in a townhome with 4 sliding glass doors and none of them are recessed enough to make them work.

They are the real deal. Go find them!

Here is their link: plylox

[Howlin]

people are preparing

As if...

[DrewsMum]

Yep been getting CONGESTION all afternoon


that's what i got but i just thought it was a t-mobile thing