Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VI

NHC - NOAA ^ | 23 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Dangerous Hurricane Rita is expected to make landfall in the northeast Gulf of Mexico within 24 hours. Tornados have spawned in Louisiana. Water is filling the Ninth Ward of New Orleans again. A bus carrying elderly evacuees was gutted by fire this morning outside Dallas, with multiple fatalities. Television crews have positioned their hurricane reporters throughout the region to attain maximum drama effects. Whoooooa.

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
Jefferson Co TX NWS Weather
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:

Lake Charles Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Houston/Galveston Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Lake Charles Experimental Radar Outages and Delays May Occur

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)

KHOU-TV/DT Houston
KPRC-TV/DT Houston
KTRK-TV/DT Houston
KTRH-AM Houston
KPLC-TV/DT Lake Charles/Lafayette
KSLA-TV/DT Shreveport

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
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 V
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

[ARealMothersSonForever]

Where is the Mayor of the Mudpuddle? He needs to get on the tube and demand more buses.

[IndyTiger]

CNN interview with Gen. Caldwell now...30 or 40 blocks now flooded...CNN photog saw water rise 5-10 inches per minute, newly patched levee has failed.

[GOPJ]

Levee broke. It was built to hold 7 feet of water and it is now 7 1/2 feet.

That'll do it...

[green iguana]

Does anyone know what it means when the eye of the hurricane collapses? Looking at both the floater IR picture and all of the Unisys weather pics, Rita's eye has disappeared.

[Lanza]

There is a very mild lovely breeze here in Clear Lake. I am ten minutes from Kemah, and according to the news people over there it's huge gusts. Strange.

[AppyPappy]

The eyewall has all but disappeared.

[Krodg]

Thanks for your encouraging words on the last thread. LOL

Today was supposed to be her last day of work before the baby comes and she was upset that her hubby wouldn't let her go out today. She's planning on going in Mon to make up for missing today. Did I mention she's a DUmmie?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Harris Co. Judge Bob Eckels:

Refuel trucks are continuing to roll in to cover the major evac routes. Buses are starting to roll on Hwy 59 and I-10 east to rescue those stranded on the road and take them to shelter.

[squarebarb]

Thanks again for this thread, my neighbor (on my north fenceline) is anxious for news and FR has the best news.

Her husband is a tugboat captain, usually pushes barges between Brownsville and Tampa on the Intercoastal. He's gone ten days and then back here (hill country TX) to their little ranch for 20 days.

He was on his tug in the Houston Ship Channel but his company got all employees out --- he's run his tug up the Neches River, thirty miles (The Neches flows into Port Arthur)to get out of the way, now it appears Rita is headed for Port Arthur.

He won't leave, says he will stay in the pilot house.

My neighbor is of course very frightened for her husband. She's glued to the t.v. and I'm on FR. Will probably go down and stay with her tonight for a few hours after I get animals fed.

Thanks for all the first-hand reports here on FR, much appreciated. Will relay news to y'all how Captain Corageous is doing in his tug on the Neches. He's been calling on cell phone about four times a day.

[Unknown Freeper]

Is Shepard Smith in town?

Shep was in Galveston yesterday!

Forget drama queen Shep. Where's Cantore?

[fjsva]

An idiot reporter

Sounded like David Gregory from NBC. They need to put him on the beach in Galveston.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Central Florida.

[conservative in nyc]

There is a very mild lovely breeze here in Clear Lake. I am ten minutes from Kemah, and according to the news people over there it's huge gusts. Strange.

You think they're over-dramatizing the weather? NEVER!

[steveegg]

Thanks again.

Quickie recap for those just tuning back in - As of 10 am CDT -

- A Hurricane Warning is in effect from Port O'Connor, Texas to Morgan City, Louisiana
- Tropical Storm Warnings extend from Morgan City east to the Louisiana/Mississippi state line (includes New Orleans) and from Port O'Connor to Port Aransas, Texas.
- A Tornado Watch is in effect from coastal Alabama west through south-central Louisiana through 6 pm CDT
- Rita was centered near 27.4 north/91.9 west, about 220 miles southeast of Galveston and 210 miles southeast of Port Arthur.
- Movement was toward the northwest near 10 mph and is expected to continue the next 24 hours. Landfall is anticipated early Saturday on the upper Texas/southwest Louisiana coastline.
- Maximum sustained winds were near 135 mph (the border between a Category 4 and Category 3), and while slight weakening is possible, Rita will likely come ashore as a major hurricane. Hurricane force winds extended outward up to 85 miles and tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 205 miles. Pressure was 929 mb.

[Steve_Seattle]

Max Headroom

Now there's a name I haven't heard for YEARS.

[texianyankee]

Up here in College Station we are getting a good breeze from the east as I type right now. We have gotten some lulls, however.

[spycatcher]

I don't think Texas police or Nat. Guard will stand for any looting and pillaging. Plus people like you have guns, etc.

But...I still think a lot of panic for people was based on seeing the NOLA gang violence, which was most likely pre-planned by the gangs who stayed behind.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Forget Cantore.

What the you-know-what did Alexandra Steele do to her face? She looks like Michael Jackson in drag.

Or rather, Michael Jackson looks like her in drag. Or something like that....

[ARealMothersSonForever]

The prayer lady on thread III just might have a point.

[Lanza]

Obviously I have a different definition of gusts then they do. Hmm... my trees are not even moving now.