Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part III

NHC-NOAA ^ | 27 August 2005 | NHC-NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Katrina continues to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico. Currently, the forecast models are converging upon New Orleans. However, all interests in the northern Gulf of Mexico should follow the path of this storm, and be prepared for a major hurricane landfall. Throughout Friday, the official track forecasts moved west, as Hurricane Katrina delayed making the anticipated northwest turn.

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
Navy Storm Track
Katrina Track Forecast Archive Nice loop of each NHC forecast track for both three and five day
Forecast Models
Alternate Hurricane Models via Skeetobite
Buoy Data Florida
Bouy Data Louisiana/Mississippi

Images:

New Orleans/Baton Rouge Experimental Radar Subject to delays and outages - and well worth the wait

Mobile Long Range Radar Loop

New Orleans/Baton Rouge Radar

Ft. Polk, LA Long Range Radar Loop

Northwest Florida Long Range Radar

Storm Floater IR Loop
Storm Floater Still & Loop Options
Color Enhanced IR Loop

Other Resources:

Hurricane Wind Risk Very informative tables showing inland wind potential by hurricane strength and forward motion
Central Florida Hurricane Center
Hurricane City
Crown Weather Tropical Website Offers a variety of storm info, with some nice track graphics

Live streaming:

WFOR-TV Miami: http://dayport.wm.llnwd.net/dayport_0025_live
WWL-TV New Orleans: mms://beloint.wm.llnwd.net/beloint_wwltv
HurricaneCity.com: http://hurricanecity.com/live.ram
WTSP-TV Tampa: mms://wmbcast.gannett.speedera.net/wmbcast.gannett/wmbcast_gannett_jan032005_0856_78183
WKRG-TV Mobile mms://wmbcast.mgeneral.speedera.net/wmbcast.mgeneral/wmbcast_mgeneral_jul072005_1144_93320

Katrina Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm 12

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

[Dog Gone]

The LSU Hurricane Center surveyed numerous large public buildings in Jefferson Parish in hopes of identifying those that might withstand such catastrophic winds. They found none.

I really hope that I'm overreacting to what I see this afternoon. I probably am, because I can't imagine it being worse than I suspect it's going to be.

Maybe Katrina will slide off to the east or west and inflict hell on a smaller community. Maybe she'll suddenly lose intensity before landfall. Those things frequently happen with hurricanes.

But if she hits NO as a Cat 4 storm, we'll be talking about it for the rest of our lives. We're still talking about the Galveston hurricane more than 100 years later.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I've been over that one a couple of times. California Highway 154 is a really nice drive.

[NautiNurse]

Great info. Very interesting review of the storm tracks, particularly Betsy and Camille.

[Tuxedo]

Hmmm....and the Mighty Mississippi is 200 feet deep in New Orleans.... interesting...

[BurbankKarl]

uh...I doubt 250k people will die.

[Torie]

Here is the order for Plaquemines Parish.

[Palladin]

right,Karl, I'm ashamed of myself fo forgetting that death toll so soon. (Blushing).

[sheikdetailfeather]

You may try looking up where ice is distributed on the City of Ft. Lauderdale website. Last yr. the city websites in Fla. gave distribution points. Many locations were at the fire stations for ice, tarps and mosquito spray. Some locations were at designated points.

[rang1995]

wasn't this just a "made for tv movie" a month or two ago??


Obscure Louisiana port linchpin for U.S. energy
by Mark Bibineck
03 Jun 2005 23:26:55 GMT
Source: Reuters

The nearby Louisiana Offshore Oil Port is the only direct link for vast supertankers to the mainland. Its pipes also run through Port Fourchon en route to refineries and, eventually, the nation's fuel tanks.

The port's location leaves it vulnerable to storms and other disruptions related to access. So what if it were hit by a major storm or another catastrophe?

It would quickly become part of the American consciousness because prices at gasoline pumps would skyrocket...

Hurricane Ivan reminded the industry of Port Fourchon's vulnerability last September when it roared through the Gulf, cutting 45 million barrels of U.S. oil production.

Even though it landed well east in Alabama, Ivan still caused minor silt buildup that required dredging. A closer landfall could cripple the port, cutting it off from the U.S. Gulf.

"If a Category 3 or 4 really hit (Fourchon), it could take three or four months to dredge it, and that's from the day the dredge showed up," said Edmond Russo, operations manager for the Army Corps of Engineers

[NautiNurse]

Sounds like another press conference coming up soon with the New Orleans mayor and the Guv.

[CajunConservative]

It was bad. What blows my mind is to see how far inland the storm surge went. That blows my mind.

[AnAmericanMother]

You also don't want to think about what corners were cut in its construction, in one of the most corrupt administrations the state ever had . . .

Well, that HAD crossed my mind, but they let Huey drive across it, didn't they? < g >

This LA governor seems like a real weak sister. Decisive leadership is what's needed right now, and she ain't providing it!

At a minimum, she ought to be calling for everybody to get ready . . . gather important papers, pets, and a couple days' supply of food and water, be gassed up and ready to leave on the word.

What she SHOULD have done as soon as she took office was appoint a task force to coordinate evacuation of those who don't have transport. If a plan were in place, city buses could be used to move the folks out, churches could take care of their members and members' families, etc. etc.

After S GA dodged Hugo, the gov. put in place a comprehensive plan for the coast. I-16 is now equipped with hurricane gates on all the exits (so the state patrol doesn't have to put cars at each ramp) and a traffic counterflow pattern (with crossovers to return traffic to the normal lanes). So far it hasn't been needed, but . . .

[AnAmericanMother]

As a kid, I read a first-hand account of the Galveston storm in American Heritage magazine. Scared the h#!! out of me.

My grandparents were in a hurricane in central FL (the Orlando area - actually Clermont) back in the late 50s or early 60s some time. Their house was concrete block construction, but the roof blew off!

Don't mind saying that these storms worry me a lot, I live a long way from the ocean but my folks are right on the GA coast.

[Darlin']

Oh, Dear !!!!!! :) Thanks for the update... I'm off on a battery hunt. :) See all of you nice folks again rel soon, I hope :)

[Types_with_Fist]

I forget where you are Darlin'... but watch out... they are saying all the keywords "Betsy," "Cat 4," "mouth of the Mississippi," etc.

[CajunConservative]

On June 27, 1957, a hurricane named Audrey hurled a deadly raging ocean of water over quaint Cameron Parish, Louisiana. It was a Category 4 Hurricane and in a matter of hours, wiped out every movable object in her path, forever changing the lives and souls of Cameron Parish residents. Hurricane Audrey killed 425 people, 154 of whom were under the age of 9.

http://www.booksbynolaross.com/hurricane.htm

This book is a book of survivor stories. It is hard to fathom just what those people went through.

[rwfromkansas]

At this point, I thiink we need to be praying a lot for this situation.

I am going to send a campus-wide e-mail out this evening if it continues to look like it is going straight to NO.

This looks like it could be really bad.

[chemicalman]

I remember walking across the Royal Gorge...There was a "No Fishing" sign at the center of the bridge...lol

[Carolinamom]

Has anyone heard from cajungirl?

[LincolnLover]

They'll open up schools, arenas, even the Superdome for those who can't leave and hope for the best.