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

[Robert A Cook PE]

After one hour on the phone convincing my titanium-cranium father to get out, and two others on the phone finding them a hotel this late in the game, I can either go do laundry ... or drink beer.

Well, if you do the laundry, it will only get dirty again. Then you'll have to wash it again. Since the laundry is already dirty, you can save time by leaving it dirty.

On the other hand, once you drink the beer, the job is complete and done with; and you can drink another beer again without wasting effort or feeling guilty.

[roses of sharon]

Oh no! As you probably know, such great memories are made when the entire family is together at the beach. Darn it!

Well, good luck to you and yours. Mine are in Beaumont, Austin, Houston, Nederland, Lumberton and Baytown. Most are taking the opportunity to visit some in west Texas.

I'll be saying my prayers in earnest for you all.

[CedarDave]

I won't stay after the storm without A/C for longer than a couple of days to find kennel to board my dogs and nice a hotel in Santa Fe NM or someplace else wonderful.

I'd stay away from Santa Fe. Besides high prices for everything, the city sport is bashing/blaming Bush for everything. You do not want to be there. Try Cloudcroft or Ruidoso, NM.

[No Blue States]

Ive seen lake Arlington go over its spillway.
They were worried about the earthen dam at the time too.

With the ground so dry flooding could be a problem if Rita stalls. Its hard to get the water to soak into my tomato garden when its this dry.

Im not in the flood plain either but have often wondered what a deluge like 20" might do here.
Ive never seen over about 8" in 24 hrs.

If Burleson and Everman flood Arlington might go over the spillway. I wouldnt want to be in those new houses at 1-20 and loop 820 right on the village creek flood plain if Rita stalls.

[nwctwx]

I think it's just about a trend. I'd call it a wobble for now, but I think it's slowly moving north on its path.

NOLA is not in play.

[RummyChick]

You can't vote that water out of the city of New Orleans.
Russel Honore


http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/russel_honore.html

[mware]

Station 42003 has failed. It will be restored to service when it can be worked into the schedule.

[meyer]

Nah, I tend to get the Tide and the Clorox confused after a few beers...

So long as you don't confuse the beer and the Clorox, you should survive. :)

[Sam Cree]

Thanks. OK, that explains why you sound like you know what you're talking about.

[Fury]

On the other hand, once you drink the beer, the job is complete

Actually, not really...

[steveegg]

I can't tell from those pics. The storm has been growing in size. It's easier for me to identify direction in a sat loop.

From what I could tell from the sat loops, it's just a hair north of west, not enough to term it WNW. The last couple of images seem to show a bit more of a due-west jog.

[CindyDawg]

Don't you mean Gov.Perry????

That's what he said. Who did I post? I'm afraid to go back and look lol. I have a 3/4/5 y/o tornado already here under my desk.

[truthandlife]

Cell phones are not working in Houston. All circuits busy and not taking calls. It has already started and the storm is not even here yet.

[shezza]

What's your take on the McAllen/Pharr area? Is that far enough inland (and south) to be safe? (dh's grandmother is in a nursing home there -- she's in her nineties and I definitely worry about her)

[steveegg]

Now that's the best justification yet for drinking beer.

[leadpenny]

'Ouachita'.

Looks like "weegee" board to me.

Yeah, it was pretty bad. Probably wouldn't help by trying to explain that I new it was something really weird and was too lazy to look it up.

[SouthTexas]

Ping for later.

Did WCG pick her cautions yet?

[Michael Goldsberry]

North Jetty in Port Bolivar are probably in even more trouble

No, the last prediction I saw was landfall a little Southwest of Galveston. That would make the Bolivar area further from the storm, but not much. And, I suspect, not nearly enough.

[Strategerist]

McAllen is near Brownsville right?


Given recent trends it appears that their chance of getting a direct hit are slim. The area is under a hurricane watch and that should be the operative word for preparations.

[CindyDawg]

Oops. Nothing against Governor Perry but that's an ok , kind of typo :')