| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
|
Locked on 09/22/2005 5:50:00 PM PDT by Sidebar Moderator, reason:
New thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1489655/posts |
Posted on 09/22/2005 3:25:57 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Extremely dangerous Category 5 Hurricane Rita continues to threaten the Greater Houston Metropolitan area. The forecast track has shifted slightly to the northeast, increasing the risk to Southwest Louisiana, and a significant portion of the oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas Governor Perry is urging all coastal residents between Beaumont and Corpus Christi to evacuate as soon as possible.
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
Houston/Galveston/Beaumont/Lake Charles Wx Watches/Warnings
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Louisiana
Hi Res Houston Flood Zone Map Slow load, great detail
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)
KPRC-TV/DT Houston - KPRC-TV/DT Houston - http://mfile.akamai.com/12944/live/reflector:38616.asx
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
Beaumont TX evac Routes
Lake Charles/Southwest LA Evacuation Map
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
KPLC Lake Charles Evac Routes, news
KFDM Beaumont/Port Arthur News, evac info
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 III
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18
"My son is at Ft. Benning GA for basic training in the Army"
God bless your son for his service. And your son's gonna be fine there. The best thing about the storm is that it may cool the troops off a little. The red clay and pine woods at Ft. Benning in August and September can be a sneak preview of h*ll for back sliders....
If Joe dugout-packing Pinto finds one unmanned onramp southbound, then not only does he vanish in a puff of smoke, but half of all the outbound evacuees are now stuck in their cars for landfall.
It takes time to put a cop on every on-ramp, and cops are in short supply right now for other reasons.
Relax.
Texas highway clogging doesn't look to be a major problem right now.
Louisiana highway vacancies do, though.
The media is not keeping up with this storm, and therefore, Blanco isn't either.
The first man describing that flooding would occur inland seemed to know what he was talking about. A terrible situation with so many already sheltering in the area from Katrina.
Hey, doesn't the beloved John Kerry have an SUV?
The traffic mgmt was pretty good in LA, everybody in cars who wanted to get out was able to do so. The auto evac wasn't the problem. Likewise the traffic mgmt here is fine. It is stressful, but we just have to be patient. Still 36 hours to go.
I saw a reporter yesterday in the Keys and she had her slicker tightened up and her hood pulled tight around her face and she was talking about how, even though the storm has passed, it was quite nasty and still dangerous. Then she turned to interview a young surfer looking guy (in his early 20s) who was checking on his boat. The guy was standing there in his t-shirt and behind them was a group of 4 or 5 kids (looked to be about 10-14 years old) and they were jumping off the pier into the canal having a blast.
When they pulled back from the young guy's face shot, the girl had sheepishly removed her hood.
?
aint that the God's truth!!
Conditions at 42001 as of
(10:50 am CDT)
1550 GMT on 09/22/2005: Unit of Measure: EnglishMetric Time Zone: Station Local TimeGreenwich Mean Time [GMT]Click on the graph icon in the table below to see a time series plot of the last five days of that observation.
Wind Direction (WDIR): NNE ( 20 deg true )
Wind Speed (WSPD): 52.4 kts
Wind Gust (GST): 66.0 kts
Wave Height (WVHT): 32.5 ft
Dominant Wave Period (DPD): 15 sec
Average Period (APD): 9.8 sec
Mean Wave Direction (MWDIR): E ( 96 deg true )
Atmospheric Pressure (PRES): 29.24 in
Pressure Tendency (PTDY): -0.18 in ( Falling Rapidly )
Air Temperature (ATMP): 78.4 °F
Water Temperature (WTMP): 83.7 °F
Dew Point (DEWP): 78.3 °F
Heat Index (HEAT): 82.0 °F
Combined plot of Wind Speed, Gust, and Air Pressure
I just listened to Gov. Perry answering reporters. He stated that it is part of the evacuation plan to station fuel tankers filled with gas along the major highways.
He listed the highways and said they will be there to assist those in need of fuel.
He said he dosen't have any SUV. His family has it.
Yep. What's worse is I just found my uncle three days ago that worked off LA (oil rig), they were on some vessel with his boss (they were last to leave the rig), couldn't dock anywhere and my aunt was to pick him up. She goes yesterday and he said he was going back out on the vessel... I said What?, she was crying. Now where could they possibly go with this monster coming. Unreal.
They lost the house in LA, my aunt is with relatives in Picayune MS. She is beyond herself and rightly so.
Something I'd forgotten, but if the eye passes to the east your winds will come from the north east -- they'll have been over land for a long time, that's why they call it the clean, or dry side. Galveston is still very worried, but if it passes to the east of THEM, they'll get the weakest hit of all, am I right?
Aw, that's Tuh-ray-zuh's SUV. Kerry rides an energy efficient bike.
"Hey, I can carry more people in my SUV than someone in a Honda...
Yeah, but everybody wants to get their own vehicle(s) out, so they ain't riding with you.
People who have four vehicles are trying to take them all out so they won't be flooded. Because of that and the lack of gas, some poeple might not make it out. Tough luck, eh?
Policy jury president evacuating tonite!!
Perry has done a great job so far - but Texas needs to keep an eye on these changes in the forecast, especially if the houston area evacuation starts to become unmanageable with congested roads and people running out of gas et al.
RAP sat shows Rita is already strenghthening, whites now wrapping around and blowing up, even on the northwest side where she was weakest even 2 hours ago.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
