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

[NautiNurse]

The cell phone systems in NO area must be getting tied up. Tried calling several folks on their cells and getting no rings.

Thanks for the info. Hopefully folks are on the phones coordinating their immediate bugout plans.

[Amelia]

Speaking of dolts, you should've seen the weathergirl on CNN earlier announcing the "good news" that the pressure on Katrina had dropped. "The more it drops, the better it is for us."

I'm thinking yeah, if you're looking for ratings, it's great news....

[Diddle E. Squat]

The freeways will be contraflow. But the local roads (2 to the northeast, 1 to the north, 2 to the northwest, and 2 or 3 west of the Mississippi River) AFAIK will still be 2 directional, allowing return trip for evacuee buses(if they run any.) If they had a good plan in place (and after watching the scared mommy governor I am starting to have doubts about that) they could set up inland shelters and make several runs using buses. Might have had to take on the unions to get that implemented, might have had to take on inland local gov't's who didn't want the problem that temporarily sheltering 'those types' would bring (which if the worst happened could turn into a long-term problem), so politics could easily have prevented a good plan from being implemented, but it certainly was possible. Not to mention that Amtrak has a major base of operation in NO, with spare equipment, that could have been planned to commandeer and run shuttle evacuee trains to shelters in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, or Alexandria. Somewhat logistically complicated, but again certainly possible to avoid the worst case, and the gov't has the power to order the railroads to clear the tracks, allowing such trains to shuttle back and forth at 60mph most of the way. Too late to organize on the fly, but they had lots of options if they had chosen to plan for them. We'll see.

[NautiNurse]

I put the elders on a plane for Ivan. They already had been evac from their home due to Frances. Fortunately, they were on an Alaskan cruise during Jeanne.

[Types_with_Fist]

The more it drops, the better it is for us."

Are you serious? LOL! I believe it was Rita Cosby, during a Hurricane last year, who kept warning everybody about being inside the "eye of the storm" and how this was "the worst part of it."

[Tarheel]

In that cased she must have been a first or second grade teacher! She is treating adults like seven year olds! Thank you for the insight on this "governor".

Do you know is she from LA?

[highimpact]

All of the major evacuation routes have turned into parking lots. What are they waiting for? Look at the traffic cams below. It's time to start contraflow NOW! Lives are at stake!

New Orleans Evacuation Gridlock

[blam]

"Of course, it may hit Mobile too, and I'd look like an idiot, but better safe than sorry."

Hey, leave us out of this...we've had our share.

[Amelia]

I just sat here with my mouth open staring at the screen & waiting for someone to correct her. Don't think anyone ever did.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I tried to call my friend who went down to NO from Lafayette last night (stupid) and couldn't get through. He's a diver and told me they were going back out Sunday or Monday. It made mike come out of my nose.

What was Mike doing in your nose? Are you milking the situation?

[oldleft]

http://www.lsp.org/lcadeg.html

This is a useful, but somewhat confusing site.

[Howlin]

"this will be a positive experience for all of us"

She honest to goodness said that on live TV?

[oldleft]

MILK! I meant MILK!

[dawn53]

You're right.

They had never left during a storm before and they had lived here all their lives.

But they had never been facing a cat 4 or 5 or been in their late 70's before when a storm came through.

My Mom even said in her younger days she got a rush out of hurricanes. She would take us to the beach after the hurricanes had passed, when we were younger, and we did have fun finding all sorts of stuff and watching the waves.

We actually didn't give them a choice, you're right, when you get older sometimes it's hard to make those kinds of decisions. We (my other sister and I who live here) called my sis in Atlanta, told her we were putting them on a plane, called them and told them to pack a bag, and drove them to the airport on Thursday night (the hurricane was supposed to hit on Saturday, but Jeb Bush and EOC had called for evacs starting at noon on Thursday.)

And I must say, it was not only for them. My sister who lives here and I knew that if a bad hurricane hit, we'd have enough problems dealing with issues of our own families and would not need the extra responsibility of getting things for my parents. So it wasn't altogether an altruistic decision.

[NautiNurse]

On closer inspection of the post times--it appears that discussion board is very quiet now. They got the message.

[winodog]

My friend in Cal has been trying on her cell and on the land line and gets no ring, no message, nothing at all.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

She was a school teacher in her former life.

I just knew that.....sounded just like an elementary teacher talking to her 2nd graders!

[Howlin]

I watched that video linked on the other thread to Bastardi and some other guy talking about the storm yesterday.

What a punk he is.

[rwfromkansas]

traffic cams filling up

[Types_with_Fist]

Fox is showing I-10 bumper to bumper. Even if the Gov isn't taking it all that seriously, the people are. I wonder if they waited too long though.