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

[Fawn]

GET THE BUSSES!

[LBelle]

That's the exact frog! It cracks us up every time we hear him ribbit. We start singing the song. Brings a little humor to a dreary day.

[Fawn]

Thanks.....I guess that covers it all :)

[laz]

Where in Davie? It is a pretty large community now.

Don't know. Just heard on Channel 10 a tornado was moving into Broward in the direction of Davie.

[LBelle]

A short while after Andrew, my stepdad sat down in the bathroom and a frog jumped up from the bowl and hit him right in the butt! He was traumatized for a while. It's one of our family's favorite stories, to say the least.

[samantha]

How is your weather now? I hope the tail winds are not giving you problems.

[Txsleuth]

I love that graphic.....

BTW, I just heard on Fox from Bret Baier that the Pentagon is moving the Iwo Jima tomorrow...and the Coast Guard ships are also moving...in front of Rita..

BUT, he also said that 3 of the 5 maps that the military uses as predictors show Rita veering INTO the NO area...yikes!

[kassie]

I am literally LOL ! I went to Wal-mart and it's like Christmas Eve. (Missouri City Wal-mart). All sold out of water, canned meat and most soups.

Stopped at Randall's Flagship and it was almost as bad.

[Chasaway]

It's a crazy-looking thing. He explains his methodology on his site (over my head!) and his discussion seems to follow the consensus.

But when I saw that strike forecast graphic, my eyes prob'ly bugged a little. Just lots different than everything else.

[dirtboy]

Thanks.....I guess that covers it all :)

Oh, the basic concept of hurricanes is easy to describe. Figuring out what one of the bastards is going to do is a whole 'nother story.

[MplsSteve]

I've driven by there a few times. Each year, I tell myself I'm gonna visit.

I also hope the National Key Deer Refuge survives with a minimum of fatalities. The Key Deer are a most endangered species and one really bad hurricane could forseeably make 'em extinct.

The National Key Deer Refuge is not too far north of Key West. Here's its web site:

http://nationalkeydeer.fws.gov/

Of course, it goes without saying that I hope there are no injuries or deaths among the human residents of the Lower Keys too!

[onyx]

I just heard that too.

[kassie]

Ah, never a dull moment.

[samantha]

Oh O.K.,it usually happens in the Western sections of Davie.

[Sally'sConcerns]

Now that you mention the apartment complex I remember it getting hit too. The news focused mainly on the VA hospital even though it only knocked a corner off.

At the time I lived off of 281 and Thousand Oaks...or is it 287. Drat, having been transferred quite a few times between Houston, Dallas and San Antonio it can be hard to remember.

[Chasaway]

"...3 of the 5 maps that the military uses as predictors show Rita veering INTO the NO area...yikes!"

No kidding?! That's not what I've been hearing everywhere else...

I wonder what maps they're looking at. I'd like to see 'em.

Cheers

[mystery-ak]

That's great...just talked to hubby in NO and they have no orders to evac....

[Txsleuth]

Scary, huh?????

Just heard that Tarrant County---where I live, which also includes Fort Worth, WILL be taking any evacuees from the Rita Hurricane...

all evacuees from NO, that are still in parts of Texas will be moved to Arkansas and N. Mexico.

[samantha]

You better top off your tank,and have an extra container just in case.

[TXBSAFH]

That or Ted Nuggent.