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

[Lemondropkid31]

Anybody know any more about a place like Conroe, like, what kind of weather we may have here? I am as prepared as I can be.

[LikeLight]

100 stranded cars at Petro... No gas... Don't know who to call for more gas... (per Beaumont scanner)

[BurbankKarl]

this happened today or three weeks ago?

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Mayor said that they just built a bunch of homes and condos only 150 feet from the water and that there are no sand dunes between for protection. He looked very worried. He made it sound like Galveston is very much in play for a direct hit.

We learn nothing from history or science.

We might as well be illiterate cave dwellers with no technical knowledge or education at all.

[AliVeritas]

Save the capture, we may need it for the attacks of 'no troops' later.

[Miss Marple]

I am pleased to report that my niece, her fiance, and the cat, have arrived in Dallas at 4 this morning, having been on the road since 6PM yesterday.

Their big mistake was getting hungry and pulling off at a McDonald's. They were not allowed back on at that exit, and had to travel quite a distance on the service road (which was also bumper to bumper) before they found an on-ramp that they could use to get back on.

They went to the grocery today and bought all supplies needed: water, canned food, and cat supplies (including litter).

The rest of her fiance's friends (he works for Exxon) went to Austin to party. THEY will have large charge card bills, while my niece and her fiance will not.

I like having smart kids in the family.

[SE Mom]

Condos without protection...so much for safe sex on the beach...

[Spktyr]

The traffic jams started a lot earlier than people planned. If things had gone according to plan, the jams would have been starting around noon today.

That said, the gas *was* in the designated places.

Also, per the presser on TXCN right now, crews of government employees and volunteers are now going to be working their way up the medians in city buses passing out thousands of bottles of water and assisting stranded motorists. Standard ration of gas handed out by TXDOT assistance crews (these are the guys in the white trucks) is 5 gallons of gas. No charge.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

You are correct. The proper way to "mount a feathered yankee on a rail" is to do it outside. We have been known to do it inside, upon occaison:)
Sorta takes the fun outta the whole thing. If you light 'em afire in the barn, they occaisonally thrash around and burn good stuff down.

[Eaker]

Were they heading south to Austin or are they staging there?

I was invited to Cali but I turned the invite down because there were too many asses that need kicking in that state.

I'd prolly wear my boots out.

[steveegg]

I haven't seen the NOAA plane report since about 4 pm (with the 133-knot report in the NW quad coming in their 2-pm run).

[CindyDawg]

Someone please put me on your hurricane ping list so I can keep up with yall.

[Wthrman13]

Lol, I don't need a lecture about cold core lows/highs, warm core lows/highs, etc.. I know what they are, I'm a meteorologist with a B.S. and and M.S. :).

Anyway, you may be correct about the upper-level high being displaced a bit SE of the core of the storm, but I thought you were referring to the large shear over the northern 2/3 of the storm, which is indeed due to its outflow. There are indeed some signs of some light southerly shear over the core of the storm, but I really doubt that this is what is hindering Rita significantly right now. What clearly is the overriding factor is the final stages of an ERC which has been VERY evident in recon reports, microwave imagery, and even IR satellite. The inner eye should be eroded away fairly soon now, and we should start to see the outer eyewall take over. This process began over 12 hours ago, and was directly correlated with the steady decrease in the wind speeds, and a modest increase in central pressure.

Also, it's the steering from the deep layer ridge to the north of Rita that is causing it to move on its current course, not the offset of the high pressure over it: that's not so much of a steering influence, but rather a shearing influence, if any.

[Types_with_Fist]

Stole bus to loot.

That's nothing unusual. Whenever I used to drive up to NO it was always the cops who needed to be avoided first and the hoods second. I can't tell you how many horror stories I've read over the years about tourists who trusted and were victimized by the NOPD.

[FormerACLUmember]

[RummyChick]

this is an investigative piece...but it sounds like it is something that happened then and now. going into houses and taking stuff.

Eddie wouldn't comment but a spokesperson who commenting.

Hotel owner said cops were looting and terrorizing guests. More than one person is saying they saw it.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Ha!

We coulda looted to get you more boots!

[onyx]

WHY am I NOT surprised? Corruption reigns.

[pettifogger]

I-45 Contraflow map from another thread

Thanks so much for this. The TX DOT rep would have seemed much more knowledgeable if she only made the point you did so clearly with your post (that contraflow began outside Houston where usually there are two lanes in each direction). Shades of Mike Brown "not knowing" there were people in the Convention Center ("Turn on the TV, Mike!")

[commish]

I haven't seen the NOAA plane report since about 4 pm (with the 133-knot report in the NW quad coming in their 2-pm run).

Sorry, it was one of the AF runs.

URNT12 KNHC 222219
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 22/22:11:00Z
B. 25 deg 58 min N
089 deg 39 min W
C. 700 mb 2326 m
D. NA kt
E. NA deg nm
F. 054 deg 124 kt
G. 312 deg 019 nm
H. 913 mb
I. 9 C/ 3065 m
J. 19 C/ 3049 m
K. 15 C/ NA
L. OPEN E
M. CO14/35
N. 12345/ 7
O. 0.02 / 1 nm
P. AF306 WX18A RITA01 OB 11
MAX FL WIND 132 KT NE QUAD 21:24:10 Z