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Part VI: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1490045/posts |
Posted on 09/22/2005 5:44:09 PM PDT by NautiNurse
Extremely dangerous Category Four Hurricane Rita continues to move toward landfall along the northwest Gulf of Mexico shoreline. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations continue across Texas and Louisiana coastal areas. Lake Charles LA is providing evacuations by bus for residents who have no transportation.
Traffic gridlock in the greater Houston area was compounded by gasoline stations without fuel, long lines at those stations still carrying fuel, and record breaking temperatures on the first day of autumn.
Offshore drilling platforms and rigs, as well as oil refineries, petrochemical and natural gas plants are in the path of the storm. Wave heights recorded by buoy have exceeded 38 feet. The refineries threatened by Hurricane Rita are on higher ground than those affected by flooding from Katrina. As a result, speculation abounds regarding future prices for winter heating fuel and gasoline.
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
KPLC-TV Lake Charles KPLC Streaming
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 IV
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part III
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18
She's heading into the Eddy Vortex south of LA now. There is a finger of very warm water from there straight to HOU. Hopefully she doesn't follow that. I see many saying HOU is looking better, but it's still close right now.
Looks like she will level out with the pressure rise shortly, as the new eye takes over. There should be at least some strengthening after that I would think.
If she doesn't come to a crawl offshore, it's almost a sure bet that she comes in as a cat4. The main thing that would hinder it in my opinion would be her sitting off the coast and sucking in dry air off the landmass. I mentioned this a few days ago as the best case scenario.
000 URNT12 KNHC 230045 VORTEX DATA MESSAGE A. 23/00:27:50Z B. 26 deg 00 min N 089 deg 57 min W C. NA mb NA m D. NA kt E. NA deg nm F. 221 deg 114 kt G. 130 deg 021 nm H. EXTRAP 916 mb I. 16 C/ 2439 m J. 20 C/ 2436 m K. 19 C/ NA L. OPEN E-SW M. CO18-35 N. 12345/NA O. 0.02 / 1 nm P. AF306 WX18A RITA01 OB 20 MAX FL WIND 125 KT NE QUAD 23:21:20 Z SLP EXTRAP FROM 700 MB OUTER EYEWALL APPEARED CLOSED
Volvos are safe - even airborne ones.
"Only God knows what ANY gal is about to do!"
Thanks for the update, steve. Just got in, and it helps a lot.
Love those donuts :)
I hate this roller coaster!! It reminds me of a see-saw football game!! UGHHHHHHH, GO AWAY RITA, GO THE HECK AWAY!!!
Prayers for y'all.
Did you try to explain to him? For a moment there, I thought your story was going to end with you giving him your 55 gallons of gasoline...
I topped off my tank, and stocked up an additional 15 gal. this afternoon. I felt like I was stealing cookies from the cookie jar.
Me either. Besides, how many times have we been promised rain and it all went east of I-35? That said, our neighbors to the southeast need lots of prayers. Good luck with your efforts in Bosque County. The hospital is prepared should we need to house tranfers from more hard hit areas.
Unfortunately if she stalls at the coast, or just off the coast that is a lot of rain and wind still for the area she is stalled off of. Lets hope Rita doesn't become Allison's bigger, meaner and uglier sister!
8 or 10 vehicles stranded at Exxon with no fuel...no pickup for them available...metro buses at Petro to take people stranded there to airport...
Beaumont scanner
Thank you for acknowledging (last thread) my statement suggesting the importance of sharpening the chain saw, in order to stretch your gas useage. I was glad to read you appreciated the reminder.
Her-ricane 'Rita Cosby is asking why weren't southbound lanes opened earlier to northbound traffic,,
That voice is enough to drive a man to drink, imo. ;-)
Thanks for all the thread work. :)
Beat me to it!
Sounds like they have plenty of Aircraft for EVAC...
Fifteen Katrina threads, and the vast majority were after the storm made landfall.
'As I said earlier though, don't see how the Coastal waters could support that, so she just has to weaken again before landfall.'
Unless she is crawling, the waters all the way to the coast are warm enough to support a cat 5.
http://wxmaps.org/pix/atlpot.png
I do think she will probably get back to that level at some point before landfall. She probably won't hit as a cat 5, but you never know. I'd like to see her strengthen right away, then go through ERC as landfall occurs. Hopefully she doesn't wait to strengthen for too long.
Good point about the waves... they have been building for a very long time now, even longer than with Katrina. I saw maps of 50-60' waves NE of the center... it's going to be another nightmare along the coast to the east of where she comes in.
That's some hope - stall off the coast and consume some dry air. Thanks for your ongoing contribtions to the thread.
I just had some today at breakfast time.
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