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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
SG, we are still here. All of the men are finishing up the final preparations. It's hard to resist the temptaion to get the heck out of Dodge, but we are hunkering down here.
(.... a little southren lingo there).
Leni
The reporter asked the Chief of Police and one of his sub-ordinates about these "allegations"--and their responses were PATHETIC! "People see things and they misunderstand what they see".
Made me SO angry. Aaron Brown made some lame comment after the story--it obviously made him uncomfortable to have to air a story that showed how corrupt the "leadership" of NO is!
Travis, as in "You talkin' to me? "
;)
You'll be okay too with a Beaumont landfall...you should expect, pounding wind and flying things from the north.
Make that flight-level wind down to 123 knots (I need my morning Dew :-)
Again our local stations didn't even have the news about NO and the 30 foot "leak" in one of the levees.
Dummies!!!!
Jeez---how many posts before you start a new thread??
As in, "Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."
Thanks for the laugh!!!
One of these days, a real rain is gonna come and wash away all the scum, the filth . . .
I'm in Sugar Land, and my neighborhood hasn't evacuated, either. There aren't too many people out and about, however. Just saw on TV that, if the current forecast holds, we should expect winds of 60 - 70 mph.
Where do I sign up. I find it hard to listen to her sometimes because I am staring at her and thinking what some might call bad thoughts. I call them healthy since I am not married.
Lol. Hey Leni. How are y'all doing, girl? For a Floridian you do pretty good on that "southern speak".
That's the guy!
...Rita a little weaker...still a very dangerous hurricane...
a Hurricane Warning is in effect from Port O'Connor Texas to Morgan City Louisiana. A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.
At 10 am CDT...1500z...the Tropical Storm Warning south of Port Aransas has been discontinued.
A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for the southeastern coast of Louisiana east of Morgan City to the mouth of the Pearl River including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain ...And from south of Port O'Connor to Port Aransas. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours.
For storm information specific to your area...including possible inland watches and warnings...please monitor products issued by your local weather office.
At 10 am CDT...1500z...the center of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 27.4 north...longitude 91.9 west or about 220 miles southeast of Galveston Texas and about 210 miles southeast of Port Arthur Texas.
Rita is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph and this motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours. On this track...the core of Rita will make landfall near the southwest Louisiana and Upper Texas coasts early Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 135 mph with higher gusts. Rita is at the border of category four and three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Slight weakening is possible before landfall...but Rita is expected to come ashore as a major hurricane.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 85 miles from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 205 miles.
Latest minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force reconnaissance plane was 929 mb...27.43 inches.
Coastal storm surge flooding of 15 feet above normal tide levels... locally up to 20 feet at head of bays and nearby rivers...with large and dangerous battering waves...can be expected near and to the east of where the center makes landfall. Tides are currently running about 2 feet above normal along the Louisiana...Mississippi and Alabama coasts in the areas affected by Katrina. Tides in those areas will increase to 3 to 5 feet and be accompanied by large waves...and residents there could experience coastal flooding. Large swells generated by Rita will likely affect most portions of the Gulf Coast.
Rita is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches...with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches over southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana as it moves inland. Rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches are possible over southeastern Louisiana including metropolitan New Orleans with isolated heavier amounts possible. Since Rita is forecast to slow down significantly after making landfall...total accumulations in excess of 25 inches are possible over the next several days across eastern Texas into western Louisiana.
Isolated tornadoes are possible today over portions of southeastern Texas...southern Louisiana including southern Mississippi and Alabama
repeating the 10 am CDT position...27.4 N... 91.9 W. Movement toward...northwest near 10 mph. Maximum sustained winds...135 mph. Minimum central pressure... 929 mb.
An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 1 PM CDT followed by the next complete advisory at 4 PM CDT.
Forecaster Avila
$$
Today another NO cop was trying to explain how the cops wound up with 98 new cadilacs. It seems they found they time to "move and secure" them because a ex employee was giving away the keys.
Didn't an oxygen tank explosion cause a ValueJet plane crash in Florida a few years back?
Morning, Travis.
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