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

[txhurl]

aarrghhh... but at least the property damage looks mightily abated if it falls east of High Island.....

[jpsb]

10 am forecast is very very bad, time to leave and be homeless for a long time, good luck to all in Rita's path.

[ContemptofCourt]

All the mets on the boards are calling it an ERC as well....as strategist has pointed out, the give-away is the vortex description of the cocentric eyewalls.

Latest vis also shows the ERC....pretty neat.

[thackney]

Thanks for the info comparing a Cat 5 to a tornado. This Midwesterner now has a better comprehension of what is going to hit.

Go to Pictures at www.1900storm.com. This was a Cat 4. Ever see a F3 do that kind of damage? Wind speed is just part of the problem. The force of the wind provides a lot more pressure on structures when it is full of water.

[metmom]

Thanks for the map. It helps us non-Texans understand some of these posts better.

[bwteim]

"Pack up the pictures, jewelry, documents, medicine and get out "
Always good advice.

[Moose4]

Thanks! Figuring out how to read those vortex reports is interesting.

She'll probably come out of the ERC as a Cat 4 or maybe a strong Cat 3, and then re-strengthen a bit, I'd guess.

}:-)4

[jeffers]

On the current forecast track, Sabine Pass will take the eyewall's NE quad and cease to exist. Port Arthur will get flanked to the right and direct surge will meet funneled surge downtown. Orange and Beaumont are higher, but both downtown areas are too close to the rivers for my comfort. Expect Mobile/Katrina flood problems there.

Grain of salt, it's still turning north/hooking right.

Oil/gas map is denser the closer you get to the Tx/La border.

[Howlin]

What? I haven't seen those!

[kimmie7]

.

[conservative in nyc]

Chambers County, home to High Island, has a population of 27,581. Jefferson County, to the east of High Island, has a population of 248,605. Most of the population of Jefferson is in Beaumont (113,866) and Port Arthur (57,755).

Neither county is on high ground until you reach I-10, according to Google Earth. That includes most of Port Arthur and Beaumont. But it looks like the area near the coast is swampy, which may help with any storm surge.

[RummyChick]

William L. on Fox indicating that things aren't built to stand a Cat 5 wind. It is a cost versus risk scenario. I am not sure if he was talking about the refineries or what but it would hold true for whatever.

The 600,000 number came up again..this time 600,000 homeless.

[bwteim]

Those ads need an automatic barf alert.

[abb]

it's flat as a pancake down there - no resistance to hurricanes at all.

[DallasMike]

Thanks for the sharp eyes. I uploaded the wrong file in an effort to be first. It's been corrected on my website.

 

 

[Howlin]

but apparently it's comprised of 100% Bush Republicans. So Houston will be saved.

I thought it was 100 percent COUNTRY CLUB Republicans.

After all, it is HIS state and he's going to take care of them, right?

Just like he did for his baby brother Jeb.

***That sound you hear is my head exploding***

[Gabz]

I saw it this morning for the first tie - made me gag.

[bwteim]

OK, switching channels.

[Howlin]

BTW, Bush was nowhere to be found here in NC last week; where's my microphone?

[BureaucratusMaximus]

That response rocked.