The man on KTRK said parts of TX could get 25 inches of rain.
THURSDAY: THE SUM OF ALL FEARS...THE BEAST AIMS FARTHER EAST.
1.) The Rita path will be adjusted east. Slow post-landfall movement in east Texas implies ultimate Texas catastrophic weather event between worst possible landfall site of strongest storm ever to hit the state and then the rainout of the slow mover. This storm will outdo all others combined in post-landfall rain amounts as the front stalls near the storm and supplies extra reason for increasing rain amounts.
2.) Heavy rain could impact New Orleans, if not by direct amounts, then by amounts farther northwest coming down the river.
3.) Severe weather will plague Rita areas for several days.
4.) A much more transient pattern in westerlies over the next 7-10 days allows for cooler air to spread southward. The Japanese ridge is alive and kicking, meaning the ridge lurks off the south Atlantic coast.
5.) Development of cross-polar flow and chillier than normal in Canada ups the temperature sweepstakes for any fronts.
6.) Analogs to middle and late September 1985 are being glanced at, but until I have some time, I can't hone in yet. The point is that new in-close tropical activity is likely to develop next week, be it the wave coming across or just the pattern allowing for southwest Atlantic development.
7.) The strong pulse of convection continues working into the Atlantic basin.
8.) For Texas, the lack of hurricanes over the past 20 years means the rent has come due.
Ciao for now.