Update: Category 5 Hurricane Rita - Live Thread, Part II

NHC - NOAA ^ | 21 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Category 3 Hurricane Rita became the fifth major hurricane of the 2005 season during the night. Hurricane Rita threaded the needle through the Florida Straits and moved into the Gulf of Mexico. Storm damage in the Florida Keys and South Florida Peninsula was light, with scattered power outages, scattered tornados, and mild to moderate flooding.

Mandatory evacuations are in effect for Galveston County TX and New Orleans. Additional evacuation orders in the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area are anticipated throughout the day.

Crude oil prices reacted as oil producers shut down and evacuated workers from platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

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 Eastern Gulf of Mexico
Buoy Data Western Gulf of Mexico
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas

Images:

Storm Floater IR Loop
GOM WV Loop
GOM IR Still Image
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop
Key West Long Range Radar Still Image

Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)

KHOU-TV/DT Houston: mms://beloint.wm.llnwd.net/beloint_khou
WWLTV NOLA

Additional Resources:

Coastal TX Evacuation Maps
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
Hurricane City
Wxnation Houston

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:
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18

[RDTF]

Holy S***

[dirtboy]

Looks like Rita just broke that record.

This is golf, not bowling.

Low score wins.

[Ryan Spock]

My parents live in Sheridan, Texas, about 60 miles north of Matagorda Bay. Current models seem to be in agreement that they are likely to get a pretty good punch from this storm, and since they live in a double-wide, they are talking about getting out by tonight and coming to visit me here in Tennessee (it's a bit far away just to "evacuate", but makes a nice excuse for a visit from the folks).

Anyway, what they are concerned about is congestion on the roads heading out of the Houston and Texas Gulf Coast area -- so what I would very much appreciate here is suggested routes from their area toward the northeast. Would it be reasonable to go out the way they normally would to come here, i.e. I-10 East to Houston, then 59 North out, or should they perhaps head due north on 77, and start heading eastward in the Waco or Dallas areas?

Thanks in advance for helpful suggestions, sources of information, links, etc.

[NautiNurse]

Please do not post info without source.

[KSApplePie_two]

msnbc weather guy said the 2pm adv. is being retyped and will be out shortly. He said 923mb and 164 max winds.

[cowgirlcutie]

You're welcome. I'll be praying for yours also.

[dogbyte12]

Hurricane Center and Weather Underground are a little late with their new maps.

[NautiNurse]

You did not indicate whether 164 is kts or mph. Makes a BIG difference.

[Professional Engineer]

This is golf, not bowling.

Low score wins.

LOL, good one.

[Types_with_Fist]

and 164 max winds.

Not "sustained" winds, right?

[NautiNurse]

There is no 2PM update this afternoon. Next update 4PM CDT

[KSApplePie_two]

msnbc was the source.

[WoodstockCat]

unless you can prove you're bringing aid in to the Miss Gulf Coast (coming from LA), the Miss Hwy patrol is going to turn you away trying to run down I10 (from an on the ground volunteer from my church in Biloxi)

[Sprite518]

Weather channel is still saying 140MPH winds, but they do agree that it strengthening, and has 923mb...

[dogbyte12]

Thanks. I must have missed that.

[RDTF]

Bastardi says Carla's pressure to beat is 935

http://wwwa.accuweather.com/promotion.asp?partner=accuweather&myadc=0&dir=aw&page=jb_free_column

[NautiNurse]

This is what happens when partial info is posted. Disregard.

[numberonepal]

I would be cautious about the Miss/Ala sections of I 10.

The only problem there is that the bridge from Gautier to Pascagoula is two way on the westbound side because the eastbound side fell down. Through NOLA, I do not know.

[arkady_renko]

Thanks. Does anyone have a link to a side by side comparison of Rita to Katrina at about this stage (this distance from landfall)?

Not side by side, but here is Katrina 21 days ago at this time of day.

A_R

[blam]

"As blam pointed out the other day, most of these storms have jogged "left" right off shore."

Nope. I said to the right, which would be to the east. The ones that jogged to the right 30-70 miles before landfall were Ivan, Dennis and Katrina.