Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part IV

NHC - NOAA ^ | 22 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[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

[ekwd]

I never said that. However, you are a fool if you think you cannot survive without the biggest car in the world. People do what they have to.

[EX52D]

LOL...turn down service? :)

[Genoa]

I wish I had saved it, but I remember noticing that UKMET was pretty accurate about Katrina when I was comparing last time. Any help anyone? How was UKMET re Katrina?

[bwteim]

ease up plse

[oceanview]

oh please.

to be fair, what it does show is the logistical difficulties to evacuate a major metro area like this by auto.

[bwteim]

It is amazing, the dynamics and response, isn't it.

[Gabz]

..... did I leave out that it's CRAWFISH etoufee?

Please STOP, folks, you're making me drool..........and I'm in the middle of cooking a bushel of apples down into apple butter.

[truthandlife]

The traffic is a nightmare and I pray that people will not be stuck on the highways when this thing hits.

Maybe Mayor White can implement the SAFEClear Program on the highways in Houston right now. It would be a big revenue generator for Houston (LOL)

Any motorist who stalls or experiences a flat tire who is not in a moving lane of traffic has the option of receiving a free tow to a destination of their choice within one mile of the nearest exit. If the motorist believes he or she has run out of gas, the destination can the nearest gas station, even if it is beyond a mile after the nearest exit. If the motorist has a flat tire and a good spare, the tire will be changed for free, as well, if the motorist wants.

• If the breakdown is in a moving lane of traffic, or if the motorist in the scenario above wishes to be towed beyond the one mile distance, or if the vehicle has been abandoned, not in a moving lane of traffic, the charge will be the same as under the original program: $75 for the first 5 miles and $1.50/mile thereafter. The fee will not exceed the fee authorized by the City of Houston Code of Ordinances, which is currently $124.

[BurbankKarl]

yes, that was Stephanie Abrams...telling how the sand is missing from high tide.

sheesh

[NautiNurse]

I just wanted to point out that there's speculation that it was not as severe as previously believed when it hit LA

I'm not a champion of speculation on this thread.

[advance_copy]

The Sultan of Umpappapmowmow :-)

[steveegg]

I sincerely hope more pay attention to the second sentence fragment of the advisory than the first....lower Cat 4 is still an F2 tornado.

Yep, and it lasts a lot longer than any tornado. Now, for some not-so-good news from Weather Underground's Steve Gregory - Rita is in the middle of an eyewall replacement cycle. Hurricanes tend to pick back up after completing this.

[james_f_hall]

Anyone have an idea what will happen to this storm once it hits the Gulf Loop again? Will it intensify back up to a 5. Is that possible?

[EX52D]

I like that commercial.

[Final Authority]

A millibar is one thousandth of the standard barometric pressure. A bar is one atmosphere of pressure. At sea level one bar is said to be 1013 millibars, so there are really more than a thousand millibars in a bar. There must be a reason for it such as determining the average pressure from some geographical point on earth, maybe London, that is not quite at sea level where the pressure would be one bar equals 1000 millibars.

[freema]

"I have met my match...."

LOL!

[seeker41]

seeker41 checking in from inner loop 610 area (Houston Heights). You cannot get out of this city right now, I had intentions of sneaking out early (before sunup) and going 36 north to Abilene, but that has become an evac route. I am not about to get on a Freeway here!

So I'll be here riding out the storm, thank god it's moving more NE now. I'll update later as things begin to change.

[Normal4me]

Are you the Sultan of Oompompamaumau? :-)

[Zechariah_8_13]

It's possible for it to become a 5 again. I can't address whether or not that's probable at this point.

[Strategerist]

UKMET was the top overall individual global model on Katrina, by a slim margin. GUNA consensus beat it by a little bit, though.

In this case, with this specific run, though, the fact it isn't verifying as soon as 6 hours indicates the 12Z UKMET may be a squirrely run.