Update: Category 5 Hurricane Rita - Live Thread, Part II

NHC - NOAA ^ | 21 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[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

[Howlin]

Exactly. And as much as I hate Mike Easely, he was all over that storm. JUST LIKE WE ALWAYS ARE.

It's what you DO in a storm -- get ready.

Did you hear a WHIMPER from anybody here about where is FEMA or George Bush? Hell, he didn't even come down here!

[steveegg]

I guess we were about an hour off on the NHC kicking this thing all the way up.

For comparison purposes, the 1:15 pm CDT update had the winds at 150 mph, while the 2:55 pm update kicked it up to 165 mph. There has not been an update on the pressure yet (was at 920 mb at 1:15).

[Jrabbit]

Bravo! And I agree with you, completely.

[dirtboy]

"Ugly Rita, Hurricane,
Wish something would come between us
When it gets dark you'll blow my town away..."

[HoHoeHeaux]

"This incredible drop of 11 mb in 105 minutes is the fastest pressure fall I can ever recall seeing in a hurricane, and exceeds the 10 mb drop in 100 minutes we saw in Hurricane Charley last year. With an eye diameter of 25 miles, an eyewall replacement cycle is not likely today, and Rita may intensify to a level close to Katrina's strongest point--902 mb."

Quote from WxNutZ on here http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?showtopic=53293

Hope he doesn't mind!

[Miss Marple]

You know, I am just waiting until blizzards hit this winter (and I know they will, because the fuzzy caterpillars are totally black). Somehow we will get by because we PREPARE.

The media will probably treat the blizzards as a New Ice Age.

[Steve_Seattle]

"The funny thing is that Bush thinks it's Bush's fault. He apologized last week for Katrina. He and I have a differing views on some things."

Bush didn't exactly say it was "his fault." He said, in effect, that - as the president - he is ultimately responsible for the performance of federal agencies under his authority, and therefore if there were deficiencies in the Katrina response, he is responsible and it is his job to have those deficiencies corrected. That is not the same as saying that all of the problems surrounding Katrina were personally his fault.

[CedarDave]

Hannity reporting Rita upgraded to "5" now. Need to change your thread title once again!

[JFC]

Texas does seem to have it all together. I have been impressed by Texas for 3 weeks now!


Thanks... we are a breed of our own.

[kx9088]

Speaking of reporters, is it just me or do the on-location reporters seem to be trying real hard for some kind of award? I mean, holy crap, they have this tone that they have to exclamate each word when talking about Katrina and now pending Rita.

CUT IT WITH THE DRAMA CLASS BULLCRAP AND JUST GIVE US THE FACTS AND LATEST INFO, WE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU GUYS!

[oceanview]

and the media will be looking for him to take the blame for Rita too. let's face it, things are going to "go wrong" with Rita too - a natural disaster of this magnitude, some things always "go wrong" - that's the very nature of a disaster. let's hope the administration has learned from its mistake, and doesn't take the blame for Rita, even when there isn't anything to take the blame for.

[Arizona Carolyn]

How do they work when it's heavy clouds and rain?

[Rutles4Ever]

CNN quoting Reuters:

Feds: Hurricane Rita threatens "substantial damage" to Gulf coast refineries. U.S. "cannot afford further disruptions."

[sheikdetailfeather]

MSNBC: WINDS NOW 165MPH, GUSTS 167

[HoHoeHeaux]

Hummm, this thread changed back to Cat 4 in the title?

[Rebelbase]

There's no freighters full of fertilizer sitting in Texas City are there?

[ContemptofCourt]

Latest pressure was 908.....

[Howlin]

LOL!

[Jrabbit]

You haven't left yet?? Time to leave. Go get your mom and head for Austin. NOW!

[Rebelbase]

Add foreward motion thats gusts to 180. Oye!