Hurricane Rita Live Thread

NHC - NOAA ^ | 20 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Rita is in the Florida Straits, impacting the Florida Keys and South Florida Peninsula. Hurricane watches and warnings are in effect for numerous portions of South Florida. Check local weather statements for updates.

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 SE Florida
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Florida

Images:

Storm Floater IR Loop
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop
Florida Radar/Sat Loop Caution: Broadband users only
Extra Large Miami Radar Broadband only
Extra Large Key West Radar Broadband only
Miami Long Range Radar Loop
Key West Long Range Radar Loop
Miami Experimental Radar Still Image
Key West Experimental Radar Still Image

Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)

WTVJ-TV/DT Miami (NBC6)
WFOR-TV/DT Miami (CBS 4)
WSVN-TV/DT Miami (Fox)

Other Resources:

Florida East Coast Surf Reports Lots of great info here, including surf cams
Central Florida Hurricane Center
Hurricane City

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:
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18

[alnick]

Do you mean further west? Last night's tracking map had Rita going in further east than this morning's.

[blam]

"rain...please..."

Ditto. Not a drop since Katrina.

[DocRock]

"We're getting a little breeze ourselves."

Same here in Winter Haven. A little breezy and we just had our first shower with a small feeder band.

"Think it's a result of Rita...seems so far away to be giving us such a breeze?"

I agree, it sure seems like a huge distance from the storm to make the flags stand straight out.

[laz]

Very heavy rain and wind here in Cutler Ridge, between Miami and Homestead, continuous for the past half hour. Thunder and lightning, which was very bad about 20 minutes ago, has diminished for the moment. Northeast quadrant is moving in.

[WestCoastGal]

Looks like this thing is headed for Texas!

I'm gonna have to get busy and pick up all the tree limbs we just cut down which will become flying missiles. I'm not by the coast but I can see it coming inland with a lot of wind and rain.

[NautiNurse]

Lots of radar links at the top of the thread

[SE Mom]

Just heard crude is down..

[RMDupree]

:-D

Sorry!

[dawn53]

We're in Pinellas. Plenty of breeze, but no rain, in fact as NautiNurse mentioned, we need rain.

I don't think we've had any rainfall in September, which is unusual.

[tiredoflaundry]

Prayers for all in Rita's path!

[AntiGuv]

The current track would mean it's pretty harmless for the oil industry, that's why oil is down today. However, so far as Galveston v New Orleans, a hit on Galveston would be far worse for the oil industry than a hit on NO.

[dawn53]

I'm in Florida and filled up this AM for $2.79 per gallon.

I was sort of surprised it hadn't spiked.

[DocRock]

I don't know if it is included, but here is the radar I use out of Tampa for Central Florida.

http://weathercenter.com/radar/doppler.htm

You can animate it and pull up some counties by clicking on them.

[Guenevere]

Not sure where you are....
..but last night was exceptionally breezy...(so was yesterday)...

..and this AM heavy rainfall...

...Could this be a bit of Rita?..I'm central Florida, east coast.

[LBelle]

we left the shutters closed on the big window in the baby's room since whatzisname (Dennis? they all run together at this point). She has napped very well since then. I will almost be sad to open them.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

No the track is moving west. The faster it gets here the further to the SW it will hit Texas because of the high sitting over Texas.

[laz]

It looks like this one won't be as strong as Katrina, so we have that much going for us right now.

Let's hope not, but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. Katrina became a Cat 1 just before coming ashore south of Ft. Lauderdale, stayed a Cat 1 during her entire trek across Miami-Dade, and dropped briefly back to a TS over extreme western Monroe County. As soon as she entered the gulf, she was back to Cat 1, and just kept intensifying after that. Rita is now a Cat 1 and hasn't yet reached where Katrina entered the gulf.

[SE Mom]

I'm Central Florida- filled for $2.76 yesterday.

It's blustery here..clouds whizzing by..

[Bahbah]

filled up this AM for $2.79 per gallon.

It's been at $2.58 for 3 days here in the midwest with no spike yet. (Just a bit of totally useless, off topic info). Praying for you all in the path of this thing.

[Trust but Verify]

Except that it won't be as strong a storm as Katrina.