Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part III

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

[NautiNurse]

Extremely dangerous and large Category Five Hurricane Rita is churning westward across the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas. Air Force Reconnaissance indicated the central pressure has dropped to 904mb, making Rita the fifth most intense hurricane ever in the Atlantic Basin.

Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches have been issued from Northern Mexico through the South Louisiana coastline. Galveston TX used school buses to evacuate residents. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations are in effect along the Texas coastline.

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 Western Gulf of Mexico
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Louisiana

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

Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)

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

Additional Resources:

FReeper Sign In Thread Check in to let us know whether you are staying, going, and when you get there
FReepers Offering Lodging To Rita Evacuees People and/or Pet Friendly FReepers Offering Shelter
Coastal TX Evacuation Maps
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
Hurricane City
Wxnation Houston
Galveston Webcams
Golden Triangle Weather Page Provides Galveston Weather, Warnings, Radar, etc.

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

[grey_whiskers]

I'd like to see a Computer Acronym and phrase GEEK YEAR for naming hurricanes:

F should be "Fortran" (or "FUD", in honor of IBM and Microsoft).

And the alternate for letter C (C++) should be "Cray".

Cheers!

[kpp_kpp]

thank you. nerves are a bit raw on this thread so i won't take being called a jerk personally... but i was just reacting to the "hope it goes to mexico" comment (which no one really seemed to mind). we're basically talking about having the current devistation doubled and aside from the physical damage to the area where it hits (versus hoping it would hit an already destroyed area) i'm not sure how much the fed gov. and our economy could take.

[Lazamataz]

WOAI has a reporter on the recon. plane and she just got a text message saying that all of the "hurricane hunters" up there right now are "absolutely STUNNED" at the intensity of this storm. Winds at 10,000 ft. are over 200 mph.

That tears it.

Katrina was just a warm up.

IF YOU CAN, GET AWAY FROM THERE.

[grey_whiskers]

LOL. I do like unnngh for U though.

Oh, yes, "U" should be "UNIX"

Cheers!

[fishntex]

"Yep, an 80-mile wide F3 twister. Ugh.... have lots of friends in Houston and Corpus Christi. Have to also watch those outer bands for the real tornadoes."


Now that really puts it into perspective.

Here is what the NWS has about an f3:

http://spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f3.htm

[Txsleuth]

That would be something if ole Troy Dungan ended up at White Rock showing us "storm surges" in the lake...lol

I will really only get nervous if this thing starts firing off tornados around here..I HATE those things.

Unfortunately, unlike hurricances, we don't get a week's notice of a tornado...more like 10 minutes if we are lucky.

Tell your sister there are a lot of North TExas freepers, and we will take care of each other, and not to worry.

[WoodstockCat]

agree..folks..this is our Camille...get away now.

[Lazamataz]

Can you explain that map to us laymen?

[No Blue States]

"Fortunately, my Jeep can swim. :-P"

I havent been able to teach my Accord that trick yet.

;o

Gulf IR still:

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/FLOAT/IR4/20.jpg

[Eaker]

LOL---you can send Eaker after the trouble makers, but for goodness sakes, don't send humblegunner!!!

fumblebunner handles my light work. He sees it the other way.

He is the third twin. Me, Squantos and humble.

Squantos, where are you?

[Dog]

Guys listen ....if you can leave ....leave now.

No waiting ...this thing is to is dangerous....to play with.

[gpapa]

5:34 pm cdt 21 sep (sorry for the caps) NWS
AT 6 PM...FOR HARRIS COUNTY...MANDATORY EVACUATIONS WILL BE IN
EFFECT FOR ZONE A. ZONES B AND C WILL HAVE MANDATORY EVACUATIONS
BEGINNING AT 6 AM THURSDAY.

[WoodstockCat]

is that projected mb at landfall with intensity on the right or is that inches of rain on the right?

[Eaker]

Glad yer back.

[Milly]

Bush's fault.

[Txsleuth]

Tell me you weren't serious with that post...about the plane crash, please???

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

My sister and her family live in Houston. I live about 30 miles from downtown Dallas in Cedar Hill. They are packing up to leave Houston tonight and stay with us. She called to say she would be leaving there soon but not to expect them to arrive in the usual four hours. She is hearing reports that it may take them as much as 20 hours to get here!!

Twenty hours! Unreal!

[NonValueAdded]

C is for "checkstop" how many remember the 1630?

[grey_whiskers]

[DogCam Deleted]

I don't know if I wanna be watching that thing when the dog starts doing that thing that "Dogs do 'cause they CAN!"

Cheers!

[oceanview]

OK, well that is good analysis. definitely go to a brick building over a mobile-style home.