Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part V

NHC - NOAA ^ | 22 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[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

[steveegg]

... And Cantore is in Houston.

But he really wants to be in Port Arthur.

[Miss Marple]

We were in Evansville that year, and you have never seen such incompetence. In a normal year, Evansville gets less than 6 inches of snow all year. They didn't know what to do with 14 inches intwo days.

Meanwhile, my parents, who lived just south of Indianapolis, were without power for four days. The National Guard had to bring electrical power line guys into their area in a half-track. Fortunately my parents had a wood-burning stove and a bunch of canned goods.

I am making sure we are prepared for this winter. I hope some of those who are living through this hurricane will come on those threads and offer advice and sympathy.

[Dog Gone]

That looks mostly west to me. Starting to feel nervous again....

[jeffers]

Got a figure for eyewall diameter when she comes ashore?

Gold plated guarantees are best, but I'll accept wild guesses too.

[Strategerist]

It's quite possible. It's also possible it could begin another replacement right before landfall, though.

[Pearls Before Swine]

But he really wants to be in Port Arthur.

But the traffic is too bad for him to get there, LOL.

[Mr Cobol]

" At least he is fighting for the conservative folks."

I agree with how much good he does. His show today was just the pits. And I had to turn him off after an hour.

[Zacs Mom]

Something just occurred to me .... a strange thought, but I'm a bit tired....

do the pros out in Vages make book on where a storm like this will make landfall? If so, where can you check what the odds makers think?

[CindyDawg]

The ice cream is for during the storm:')

[tcrlaf]

It was a week for us...

I got trapped in the city the night it started snowing, and by 8am the next morning I was standing in the Marion County CD headquarters with 18 other CAP folks running a radio....

[VRWCTexan]

For the benefit of someone with a home in Galveston County what does all that translate to? Is Joe B. of Accu-weather spot on - or out on a limb?

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

You are gonna be okay. You probably won't lose power wither. Eat the ice cream, zone out and hunker down. I told my mom in Austin to just get a couple of movies, take it easy and wait till everything passes over.

[SE Mom]

Hhmmm....Galveston isn't out of the woods yet.

[commish]

So does that mean that it could strengthen back to a 5 by landfall?

Very good chance Rita makes it back to CAT 5 -- she has a very warm eddy to cross, and her pressure is still very supportive of a CAT 5. HOWEVER, as she approaches landfall there is a good chance that the slightly cooler coastal waters, and interaction with land will weaken her back down to a CAT 4.

That said, her track will have a very big effect on her end strength. The waters off Galveston Bay are the warmest in the area -- if she tracks there she could retain much of her strength. A northerly turn toward Port Arthur/SW LA would get her into slightly cooler coastal waters.

[Peach]

Just checking back in -- has Texas gone contraflow with those highways yet?

[Zacs Mom]

yeah but I got a lot of ice cream!! Dixie cups....fudge-cycles....drumsticks

I was expecting 3 grandkids here but they couldn't make it out of The Woodlands.

[steveegg]

For the benefit of someone with a home in Galveston County what does all that translate to? Is Joe B. of Accu-weather spot on - or out on a limb?

Too early for me to tell (ask again about 11:30 am tomorrow). Pray that she weakens and swings east.

[SouthTexas]

Where's your safe (for the moment) list?

[katykelly]

Eat the ice cream.

[Miss Marple]

That was a real blizzard. Ten years after it, every time there was a hint of a big snow, the Indianapolis stations would go into panic mode.

We have had mild winters lately, but I think this one will be a doozy. Odds tell me I am right, plus the weather we have had this summer.

I am making sure we have firewood, batteries, and canned goods.