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Posted on 09/21/2005 1:36:24 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Category 3 Hurricane Rita became the fifth major hurricane of the 2005 season during the night. Hurricane Rita threaded the needle through the Florida Straits and moved into the Gulf of Mexico. Storm damage in the Florida Keys and South Florida Peninsula was light, with scattered power outages, scattered tornados, and mild to moderate flooding.
Mandatory evacuations are in effect for Galveston County TX and New Orleans. Additional evacuation orders in the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area are anticipated throughout the day.
Crude oil prices reacted as oil producers shut down and evacuated workers from platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
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 Eastern Gulf of Mexico
Buoy Data Western Gulf of Mexico
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas
Images:
Storm Floater IR Loop
GOM WV Loop
GOM IR Still Image
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop
Key West Long Range Radar Still Image
Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)
KHOU-TV/DT Houston: mms://beloint.wm.llnwd.net/beloint_khou
WWLTV NOLA
Additional Resources:
Coastal TX Evacuation Maps
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
Hurricane City
Wxnation Houston
| 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:
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18
And it has all that warm gulf water still in front of it...
If I were anywhere near shore, I would evac ASAP
Nope, hubby won't leave with me, so he'll need all that stuff. I'm still trying to make him realize how serious the threat is but he wants to wait and see. :-( He says he will "probably" leave tomorrow evening.
Hello NN and All -- Brand, brand newbie here, so please be kind. I have *only* lurked here for nearly 7 years, so I thought it would be a good thing to finally register.
I've been y'all's prayer partner on soooo many things you don't even know about, lol! Thank you, NN, for your hard work on these hurricane threads, my special interest.
Anyway, I'm here in SW Houston, hunkering down--so will be here as long as I can be.
Thanks. And yes, Rita's bigger. Much bigger. A few hours ago, I saw a pic that showed Rita's outer bands to the north extending as far as Georgia. Even earlier, they were already as far north as Cape Canaveral. In your pic, Katrina's go up as far as Tampa.
I sure hope they change their mind and let you out sooner. Local tv said it might even start to get crappy tomorrow night.
Best wishes to you and your family!
And east Texas is about to get its scourging
SW Houston FReepers - Generators coming in between 6AM-7AM at Home Depot at Chimney Rock and West Bellfort - just on KPRC
Safe travels...I hope you will have internet access at your destination so you can check in.
This new phrase should be added to the English language. "Pulling a Nagin" -- waiting until the last possible moment to do something.
Examples of usage:
"Hey, are you gonna study for that history test next week?"
"Nah, I think I'll wait till the night before and pull a Nagin."
Or:
"I pulled a Nagin paying my credit card this month, and they hit me with a late charge."
Rita is looking MUCH stronger over the past couple of hours. Wouldn't be surprised if this is already a Cat 4 hurricane. Hope they can get a plane in there soon to take some readings.
Hey neighbor.
I'm in Westbury.
Welcome to FR.
My Inlaws were scheduled to fly out of Houston Intercontinental Saturday. The have been planning this trip to come see us since last winter.
Continental rerouted them through Newark last night.
Yeah, I sent you a PM before I ever posted my first post, lol!
Thank you! You're all "rock stars" to me.
Unfortunately, she has all the signs of a very healthy storm.
Ha! Rock stars practicing in the garage...
Well, just so long as you're not running a generator in there without a CM detector!
Does anyone have a map of "The offshore oil rigs in texas" ? I would like to see it please
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