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

[Wthrman13]

"Furthermore, the northern 2/3 of the storm is subject to shearing force approx 15 m/s. This is above the standard threshold accepted for intensification (< 10 m/s). Therefor, at this time, I'm skeptical of any significant increase in intensity from here on out."

That shear you are referring to in the north half of the storm is as a result of Rita's own outflow. Since it's not environmentally-induced shear over the inner core, it doesn't affect the intensity of the storm. Strong shear on the outskirts of strong hurricanes as a result of strong outflow aloft superimposed on oppositely-directed inflow below is a defining characteristic of hurricanes. Shear that weakens hurricanes is caused by external factors, such as an upper-level trough, that disrupts the normal outflow pattern, and allows vertical shear to overspread the core.

[LA Woman3]

Yes....
Staying here this time.

[burzum]

It just looks fast because there are 12 hour intervals between the major tick marks. In reality, that buoy is in a marathon.

[eastforker]

Like I said, some people are just stuck on stupid and I stand by that statement.

[Howlin]

I'm not arguing that; I'm just saying that you should not EVER use any kind of gas without using a CO detector.

Just because they use to do it one way doesn't mean that's the way it should be done now.

[texianyankee]

Fascinating graphics - thanks!

[HonestConservative]

Love to. Got dear friends that work for NASA. She is actually originally from Baton Rouge.

Love to leave Pennsyltucky, but making a living keeps us here.

[SauronOfMordor]

Everyone has seen tail pipes dripping gasoline at one time or another.

That's condensation you see in cold weather. Hydrocarbon (gasoline) + oxygen -> CO2 + H2O (water) + energy to move the car.

The car exhaust has got a lot of water vapor in it. On cold days, it condenses in the tail pipe

[shield]

AccuWeather Forecast Versus NHC Thursday, September 22, 2005 6:04 PM EDT...WHAT'S WITH ACCUWEATHER...SLAMING THE NHC

BastardiWeenie strikes again.

[Zacs Mom]

Hi! I'm happy to say hubby finally arrived here at 3:45PM ~ 25 hours after leaving Galveston, with one fuel stop and a stop to eat in Lufkin.

He ended up going up to Tyler and back-tracking into Dallas on I-20 - but at least from Lufkin on the traffic moved.

This trip was really tough on his aunt, but she is a trooper and a darned tough ol' gal. I think once she gets some sleep she will be okay.

I sure appreciated having y'all here through this wait.....I tried not to stress about them too much but I knew his aunt was car sick and when the hours kept passing and they just weren't getting anywhere I was really starting to worry.

Hubby and aunt have both gone to bed and all is well in our household this afternoon!

Thank you Lord and thank you Freepers!

[Cboldt]

http://www.stoves.com/gasprop.htm

[RDTF]

What terrific news!! Whew, right?

[eastforker]

Correct, should we have a science 101 class here on FR? Looks like some need it.

[onyx]

HURRAY!

[Brad’s Gramma]

Thank you LORD!!!!!


And thanks, Zacs Mom for letting us all know. I've been praying for them ever since you posted last night.

Bless your aunt...she DOES sound like a real trooper!!

[steve86]

On the indoor propane (LP) issue, remember that the wrong fuel/oxygen mixture can result in substantial CO production.

Most, but not all, propane and natural gas appliances are vented outdoors, which isn't the case when you bring a campstove inside, which I wouldn't do. The non-vented approved appliances (I have two), always use a thermocouple to sense the mixture (indirectly) and shut off the flame if it gets too hot. California and a couple other states don't allow the non-vented appliances. Stove tops are treated a little differently.

For added security I keep two CO alarms, one fancy and one not, in the area when the non-vented appliances are used. They have never shown any CO accumulation above background because the mixture in the heaters is correct. It is also good to have a gas detector to detect those leaks. My wife's relatives in India do use "cooking gas" appliances indoors but they have decades of experience doing so safely. I wouldn't try it myself.

[RDTF]

That's from Accuweather's site

[MikefromOhio]

isn't 913 MB REALLY low for only 145 MPH?

[AliVeritas]

Maybe, if not, go to http://www.thepoliticalteen.net
She should have it.

[NautiNurse]

Before this storm takes out that buoy, there is a single graph at that site with all the parameters.