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

[fishntex]

I do not think I have anything to worry about here. We may not even get any appreciable rain.

[SE Mom]

Shep to cameraman: Show that garbage blwoing down the street

Cameraman: Moves camera shot back to Shep.

[Fester Chugabrew]

. . . his city is "44% minority" - and they will be hit hard.

Well, they're always hit hardest.

[monkeywrench]

My cocker spaniel did that to me, too. Starting sitting on my lap, again, even. It was like a month before the first storm hit. She didn't get back to normal til after the last. Funny, but 2 days ago she started the same thing. I don't know if anything is following after Rita, but...

[Dog]

just love your introductory commentary. First class, all the way. Kudos! How naughty of you. Thank you! Nobody ever reads those on any of the threads. You are the first person to notice. Again, thanks.

Its like reading the back of the shampoo bottle while sitting in the bathroom...

[steveegg]

Someone earlier today asked this question and I missed the answer--if the pressure is down, shouldn't the winds be up? Is the storm getting weaker, or stronger?

The pressure and winds have been bouncing around all afternoon, and it's not an exact relationship. The NHC seems to think the mix is a weakening overall.

[Bahbah]

He was talking about the Sabine River?

He mentioned several rivers. I am on information overload. Sorry.

[Sender]

Yes, these racist storms just keep kicking minorities when they're down. This just has to be a white supremacist plot. Amazing that no white people have been inconvenienced by the hurricanes, isn't it?

Hey, wait a minute...those Stormfront dudes were hanging out here for awhile...and they were looking for a 40-gigawatt flux capacitor...

[Jrabbit]

KLIF radio...Dallas...Greg Knapp show

She posted this info in the original post to me

[proud American in Canada]

She must be jealous of all the attention being paid to Hurricanes.

On the local talk radio this a.m., one of the guests (a columnist for the Ottawa Citizen, John Robson), mentioned the California earthquake and said, "What's next, a plague of locusts?"

[NautiNurse]

Its like reading the back of the shampoo bottle while sitting in the bathroom...

That NJ edge is showing... :-D

[MamaTexan]

Is the storm getting weaker, or stronger?

She's resting??

[mware]

LOL, don't you love it when Shep tells the cameraman what to show. First it was those stray dogs, than the trash can, now just trash.

Man the show is goinbg downhill fast.

[Dog]

:-)

[steveegg]

Not a problem. Rita's very vexing right now. It just doesn't want to make up its mind on whether it wants to strengthen or weaken.

TWC - gust of 90 mph south of Cameron, Louisiana.

[proud American in Canada]

i was starting to get my feelings hurt after 7000000 posts no reply to mine LMBO

LOL! I've been there, too, Elisabeth. :) Many, many times. :)

[monkfan]

Ping me when it rains on you. I'm guessing you'll get it first.

My dogs don't like the wind either. Earlier today, the lil' one was slinking along the ground as we first stepped outside. Like she was in enemy territory, sneaking under barbed wire. She's gonna be a basket case tomorrow.

[nwctwx]

Still 930mb... quite a storm, and deeper than many significant landfalling hurricanes. She could come up a bit I guess, but considering she's holding there for so long, I think she'll come in around this strength. 20+ storm surge somewhere.

[RoseofTexas]

"He mentioned several rivers. I am on information overload. Sorry."

You and I makes two...I'm RITA fatigued!! Don't know my north from my south etc...GEEZ, didn't even know where the Drama Queen was reporting from...a glass of wine will solve that problem!

[Dog]

Don't feel bad....some of my best jokes are bombing tonight.