Posted on 09/24/2005 9:58:36 AM PDT by Howlin
Hurricane Rita landfall is anticipated within the next few hours. Strong winds and heavy rains are battering southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.
MSM news crews are shouting over the howling winds as they foolishly describe blowing rain, swaying trees, and crashing waves through rain splattered camera lenses. It's a hurricane. We know these things already.
An 18 wheeler rig reportedly overturned on an I-10 bridge. The fate of the truck driver is unknown at this time. Reports of widespread power outages in Lake Charles. KPLC-TV Lake Charles local news has remarkably improvised their reporting from a remote location. They are taking calls from residents, NWS, and public utility representatives, and alerting residents to local conditions.
On the flip side, CNN announced to the world that law enforcement officers had evacuated from Port Arthur TX with the rest of the population. Engraved looter invitations would have been more elegant.
Godspeed to all those in the path of this storm.
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:
Hurricane Rita Freeper CHECK IN THREAD
FReeper Sign In Thread (LOCKED) 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 VII
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VI
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
Ha! My friend said her husband was firing up the grill, when I called. That's a TX man for you. Any excuse to barbeque!
susie
I've heard this mentioned on a couple of threads. Is it commonly accepted that it will occur?
A firefighter walks past a fire at a strip mall fire Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005 in Pasadena, Texas.
Same here. Not much of a turnout, all things considered. Beg pardon for the offtopic comment.
Big Muddy is an awesome thing in full flood.
It's worth sitting down on the levee at New Orleans and look out across the river to Algiers in the spring, when the water is high, and see all the energy in that river. Lots of power. Lots of energy. Lots of current.
Even nowadays, they can't totally control her. She is an uneasy dragon, and cannot be truly tamed.
Is this a recent picture? I hope so ... it lets me know this guy is still there. When we lived in Galveston a couple of years ago, he was always out on the seawall waving that big ol' American flag. He would smile and wave at cars passing by, and we would honk our horns and wave right back. I would usually get an extra big wave and smile from him when he saw our military stickers. In December he dresses in a Santa costume. He's quite a character and quite an inspiration (a Vietnam vet, if I'm not mistaken).
I don't know if it is commonly accepted, but if you Googled, you will find studies/scenarios if it were to happen.
From today, third article down, 17th paragraph.
The water rushing through the damaged levee was not the only concern.
Hurricane Katrina damaged the locks dividing different water levels
between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. "They are not
functional," Rodriguez said of the locks. "You can't open or close them,
and right now they're open."
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_24.html#082372
You're quite welcome, will try and let you know if things change.
She is an uneasy dragon, and cannot be truly tamed.
Beautifully said!
They're reapplying her makeup... But they have to stop her from crying first.
A big soaker!
I saw those pictures too. Really illustrates the difference between a category 3 and 4.
two hours ago
Good to be here!
See my last post to Knitting_a_Conundrum.
Big Muddy was an awesome sight in the 1993 flood, even here in Southeast Missouri. It was known as a 500 year flood. Folks who never ever dreamed that they would be flooded out, were. Folks just cannot take for granted that where they live is safe.
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