Tropical Storm Rita Live Thread

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

Your reference to Isaac's Storm gave me a wave of dread. Hopefully, this storm will speed up which will give it a more western landfall.

Right now it looks kind of grim.

1,401 posted on 09/19/2005 4:38:38 PM PDT by Dog Gone

Tropical Storm Rita Intermediate Advisory Number 8a
Statement as of 8:00 PM EDT on September 19, 2005

 
...Rita wobbles a little westward...expected to reach hurricane
strength later tonight...

 
at 8 PM AST...0000z...all warnings are discontinued for the
southeastern Bahamas.

 
A Hurricane Warning remains in effect for the Cuban provinces of
Villa Clara...Matanzas...Ciudad de Habana...and la Habana.  A
Tropical Storm Warning is now in effect for the provinces of Ciego
de Avila...Sancti Spiritus...Cienfuegos...and Pinar del Rio.

 
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the extreme southern Florida
Peninsula from Golden Beach southward to Florida City and westward
to East Cape Sable...and for all of the Florida Keys from Ocean
Reef to the Dry Tortugas...including Florida Bay.

 

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the Exumas and for Andros
Island in the northwest Bahamas.  A Tropical Storm Warning is in
effect for the remainder of the northwestern and central Bahamas.

 
A Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch are in effect from
Deerfield Beach Florida southward to north of Golden Beach...and a
Tropical Storm Warning is in effect along the Florida East Coast
from north of Deerfield Beach northward to Jupiter Inlet...and for
Lake Okeechobee.

 
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for the extreme southwestern Florida
Peninsula from west of East Cape Sable northward to
Chokoloskee....and a tropical storm watch is in effect for the
southwestern Florida coast from north of Chokoloskee to Englewood.

 
A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected
within the warning area within the next 24 hours.  Preparations to
protect life and property should be rushed to completion.  A
Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible
within the watch area...generally within 36 hours.

 
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are
expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours.  A
tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are
possible within the watch area...generally within 36 hours.

 
For storm information specific to your area...including possible
inland watches and warnings...please monitor products issued
by your local weather office.

 
At 8 PM EDT...0000z...the center of Tropical Storm Rita was located
near latitude 23.1 north... longitude 77.0 west or about 140
miles... 225 km... south-southeast of Nassau and about 315 miles...
510 km...east-southeast of Key West Florida.

 
Rita has wobbled westward during the past few hours.  A motion
toward the west-northwest near 13 mph...21 km/hr...is expected to
resume later tonight and continue for the next 24 hours.  On this
track...the center of Rita will pass over or near Andros Island in
the Bahamas tonight...and approach the Florida Keys Tuesday
morning.

 
Maximum sustained winds are near  70 mph...110 km/hr...with higher
gusts.  Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours...
and Rita is expected to become a hurricane later tonight.

 
Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 105 miles
...165 km from the center.

 
The latest minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force
hurricane hunter aircraft was 993 mb...29.32 inches.

Storm surge flooding of 6 to 9 feet above normal tide levels...along
with large and dangerous battering waves...are possible in the
Florida Keys in areas of onshore flow.  Coastal storm surge
flooding of 3 to 5 feet is possible along the extreme southeastern
Florida coast...and in the northwestern Bahamas.

 
Rita is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 4 to 6
inches over the southeastern and central Bahamas...with possible
isolated maximum amounts of 8 inches.  Rainfall accumulations of 3
to 6 inches are possible for eastern Cuba.  Storm totals of 6 to 10
inches...with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches... will be
possible in the Florida Keys...and central and northwestern
Cuba...with 3 to 5 inches possible across the southern Florida
Peninsula.

 
Isolated tornadoes are possible later tonight and Tuesday over the
Florida Keys and the southern Florida Peninsula.

 
Repeating the 8 PM EDT position...23.1 N... 77.0 W.  Movement
toward...west-northwest near 13 mph.  Maximum sustained
winds... 70 mph.  Minimum central pressure... 995 mb.

 
The next advisory will be issued by the National
Hurricane Center at 11 PM EDT.

 
Forecaster Beven

1,402 posted on 09/19/2005 4:40:14 PM PDT by NautiNurse (The task before us is enormous, but so is the heart of America.)

Yeah, one the NG guys from our church is deployed down there. I was wondering about what they're gonna do about that.

1,403 posted on 09/19/2005 4:40:31 PM PDT by LikeLight

Good heavens! They sure had better decide which way this thing is going.

1,404 posted on 09/19/2005 4:40:44 PM PDT by Miss Marple (Lord, please look after Mozart Lover's son and keep him strong.)

To: OC_Steve; Willie Green

You two need to compare notes - you might be neighbors!

1,405 posted on 09/19/2005 4:40:58 PM PDT by WhyisaTexasgirlinPA (Prayers for healing and relief from pain for Cowboy...........)

Nagin is an idiot and his age probably equals his i.Q. That's why he keeps making these idiotic statements.

1,406 posted on 09/19/2005 4:41:50 PM PDT by rodguy911 (Time to get rid of the UN and the ACLU and all Mosques in the US,UK.)

To: aberaussie; Alas Babylon!; Alia; alnick; Amelia; asp1; AntiGuv; Bahbah; balrog666; blam; Blennos; ..

...Rita wobbles a little westward...expected to reach hurricane strength later tonight...

Movement toward...west-northwest near 13 mph. Maximum sustained winds... 70 mph. Minimum central pressure... 995 mb.

1,407 posted on 09/19/2005 4:42:34 PM PDT by NautiNurse (The task before us is enormous, but so is the heart of America.)

Natch- Monday night:)

I don't think you missed anything you can't catch up on at FR...I just finished work for the day..have office at home so I'm lucky:)

1,408 posted on 09/19/2005 4:43:25 PM PDT by SE Mom (God Bless those who serve..)

Have the choppers brought in the icebergs yet to cool off the water?

1,409 posted on 09/19/2005 4:43:33 PM PDT by rodguy911 (Time to get rid of the UN and the ACLU and all Mosques in the US,UK.)

She's moved 70 miles closer to Key West since the last report.

1,410 posted on 09/19/2005 4:44:13 PM PDT by onyx (North is a direction. South is a way of life.)

Thanks! I was so afraid of canes last summer - did the plywood on the windows, etc. The difficult part is taking the plywood off. It was really dark in the house when we were having two hurricanes back to back. When we lost power for a few hours, all the neighbors came out and gabbed in on the sidewalks. Our power went out after the rain quit.

During a cane, we had a fire on the end of a wooden light pole last year. It was pouring rain at the time but lightning struck the light pole. The fire dept. came out to put out the light pole.

When the canes leave or even the outer bands, I walk around outside to see who's stuff blew where. Wind gusts are noisy and they love to take out oak trees.

1,411 posted on 09/19/2005 4:44:21 PM PDT by floriduh voter (www.conservative-spirit.org Daily Newsfeeds & Weekly Update)

Yep, Monday night.
You're right -- I am reading the threads to see what I missed.

1,412 posted on 09/19/2005 4:45:04 PM PDT by onyx (North is a direction. South is a way of life.)

Shhh...don't explain facts of deployment or logistics- the libs will never understand- they think life is a video game on demand.

1,413 posted on 09/19/2005 4:45:33 PM PDT by SE Mom (God Bless those who serve..)

Think we'll send her back to NO.

1,414 posted on 09/19/2005 4:45:37 PM PDT by SouthTexas

that'd be like dropping 3 sandbags in a 3 block breach of a levee and then wondering why choppers go back to rescuing people instead of dropping a sandbag or two..

1,415 posted on 09/19/2005 4:45:38 PM PDT by james_f_hall

Seems to me I heard some discussion about this going wnw for awhile til getting into the Gulf..and then at some point doing a little turn more north. I guess this will depend on how soon the cold front moves.

1,416 posted on 09/19/2005 4:47:55 PM PDT by SE Mom (God Bless those who serve..)

1,417 posted on 09/19/2005 4:48:09 PM PDT by onyx (North is a direction. South is a way of life.)

Have the choppers brought in the icebergs yet to cool off the water?

Shoot, I thought we were going to drop a few surplus H-bombs into it, to see what it would do... my Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Decoder Ring must have a gremlin in it.

1,418 posted on 09/19/2005 4:50:16 PM PDT by backhoe (Reporting from Beautiful Brunswick, Georgia)

To: NautiNurse; pax_et_bonum

Yes, the ships would most likely sail with pax aboard

Taking a cruise, Pax?

1,419 posted on 09/19/2005 4:50:42 PM PDT by Flyer (Houston FReepers ~ http://houstonliberty.com/forums/ ~ (SW Houston)

Are you out of the Keys yet, or going to stay put? Just talked to my buddy from Key West, he's on his way, with wife and kids to Boca, passing thru Miami as we type.

1,420 posted on 09/19/2005 4:52:36 PM PDT by Sam Cree (absolute reality - Miami)

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