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

[fanfan]

You're right, we use imperial, so that makes my $4.40 only $3.97 for a US gallon.

[Bubbette]

Just had to jump in...the Bubbette Range Rover is gassed (with REGULAR gas) and ready to go down and help our friends on the coast if necessary. And yes, hubby says regular is ok for a short period of time...we repair them, that's our business.

[Howlin]

Heatstroke victims on the freeway....not keeping hydrated in the traffic jams.

It is my understanding that in heat like this, WATER ALONE is not enough; you must have something like Gatorade, etc., with that stuff in in -- what, I cannot remember now).

[TheBigB]

We can't even remember what we did for fun before we "got" them. And we give them anything they want, let them stay up late, and suck sugar all the time they are here. :-)

We don't get many hurricanes here in central PA, but if we ever do, can I come stay witchoo? :o)

[steveegg]

does that last vortex update show the pressure going the other direction? I thought it was 916...that's 914 right?

The last 2 VDMs I saw had it at 914, with this last one a less-than-solid extrapolation (the 700 mb/altitude info is also missing).

[sheikdetailfeather]

News conferences coming up soon from Austin and New Orleans, per FOX. (I just wish the media would show the whole conference instead of cutting away for some chat show).

[james_f_hall]

Cool. Welcome to Round Rock / Austin. Luckily CAT1 winds won't make it here unless the storm starts heading due west and goes back to CAT5. This thing looks like it is headed for Louisiana.

[Gondring]

>>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.

Fair enough. The data support the conclusion that Katrina's storm surge in LA was not as large as earlier speculation.

Therefore, folks in the path of Rita should understand that unexpectedly severe results may occur.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Al, Barbara, Chuckie, etc??

[MamaB]

Is it electrolytes?

[tutstar]

your link goes to

Kentucky Regional Poison Center

(I'm from West TX too)

[Types_with_Fist]

Electrolites.

[Miss Marple]

Heheheh. I have been asked to enforce the "no TV, no Playstation" during the school week. I have been forced to teach my grandson how to play "Joy to the World" on an old electronic keyboard of my daughter's. He plays it over and over and over again.

I bet my son cracks before Christmas.

Meanwhile, I took the two year old to two different playgrounds today, as well as McDonald's and an ice cream shop. I am shameless.

[Howlin]

You're more than welcome, even on just a roadtrip.

[Petronski]

Hmmm....Lisa Kudrow, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Al Gore....three very feminine people...

[hawkaw]

News conferences coming up soon from Austin and New Orleans, per FOX. (I just wish the media would show the whole conference instead of cutting away for some chat show).

They don't show the whole conference because they don't want to show themselves completely stuck on stupid.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

But if a flock of Canada geese fly at 10,000 feet from Grand Rapids to Chicago, it could send Rita back to toward Galveston.

[Howlin]

Yes! Thanks.

[John Jamieson]

1000 bombers, 50,000 pounds of ice each, 200 btus per pound of ice. 10,000,000,000 btus.

Enough to cool 10 billion pounds of water 1 degree F.

1 sq mile (approx 25,000,000 sq ft) one foot deep.

62 pounds per cuft.

Roughly 1,500,000,000 pounds

Ever heard of pi$$in in the wind?

[Dog Gone]

Good advice. I'm almost done with my preparations, but I would have forgotten that.

Good tip in the Houston Chronicle today. Go ahead and turn your refrigerator and freezer down to their lowest setting now. If you lose power, which is likely, you might buy yourself another day or so before the food spoils.