Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part III

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

[NautiNurse]

Extremely dangerous and large Category Five Hurricane Rita is churning westward across the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas. Air Force Reconnaissance indicated the central pressure has dropped to 904mb, making Rita the fifth most intense hurricane ever in the Atlantic Basin.

Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches have been issued from Northern Mexico through the South Louisiana coastline. Galveston TX used school buses to evacuate residents. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations are in effect along the Texas coastline.

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 Western Gulf of Mexico
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Louisiana

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

Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)

KHOU-TV/DT Houston: mms://beloint.wm.llnwd.net/beloint_khou
WWLTV NOLA

Additional Resources:

FReeper Sign In Thread Check in to let us know whether you are staying, going, and when you get there
FReepers Offering Lodging To Rita Evacuees People and/or Pet Friendly FReepers Offering Shelter
Coastal TX Evacuation Maps
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
Hurricane City
Wxnation Houston
Galveston Webcams
Golden Triangle Weather Page Provides Galveston Weather, Warnings, Radar, etc.

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 II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18

[abb]

thx, khou went to network.

[Strategerist]

Look, we have had a a once-in-a-hundred-years hurricane, immediately followed by another one.

The above is false. Cat 5s in the Atlantic happen a lot more often than once in a hundred years.

Research involving digging in marshes, and tree Rings, indicate that from approximately 3,000 to 1,000 years ago, three times more hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast per year than the average per year for the last 100 years.

What exactly was the purpose of those dark forces hitting a very thinly populated gulf coast severely for those 2,000 years and then slacking off for the next 1,000 years?

The other thing I've noticed is when you have an unusually low number of various disasters (For example, large earthquake activity so far this year has been close to only 1/3rd of normal) you don't see people running around mentioning it or referencing it to religion or anything.

People are just terrified that bad stuff can happen for no particular human-related or deity-related reason. And also people got used to unusually low hurricane activity (1970-1994) as "normal."

[nwctwx]

898mb does not correlate to 165 mph winds. I guess it doesnt matter because she is spinning in open water, but they WILL find stronger than 170mph if she stays this strength.

[steveegg]

Fresh Vortex Data Message (still no new Max Flight Level winds) -

000
URNT12 KNHC 212358Z
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 21/2313Z
B. 24 DEG 31 MIN N
   86 DEG 46 MIN W
C. 700 MB 22472 M
D. 80 KT
E. 213 DEG 24 NM
F. 305 DEG 142 KT
G. 198 DEG 11NM
H. 899 MB
I. 8 C/ 3053 M
J. 28 C/ 3042 M
K. 01 C/ NA
L. CLOSED WALL
M. C20
N. 12345/7
O. .02/1 NM
P. NOAA3 WX18A RITA OB 23
   MAX FL WIND 161 KT NE QUAD 1932Z

[Strategerist]

By the way, I'll bet a gallon of gasoline that Katrina's landfall will eventually be upgraded to that of a Cat 5 system -- by the pressure alone, it was stronger than Andrew at landfall...

I'd bet you considerable money it isn't. The SOLE measure of a storms Saffir-Simpson category is sustained wind speed.

And pressure has nothing to do with the wind speed of a storm. It's the pressure DIFFERENCE between the region outside of the storm, and the storm itself. Andrew was in an environment surrounded by a higher background pressure.

[Kozak]

Please illuminate me as to my error in facts I stated.

[alancarp]

Check the water temp profile: courtesy (sort of) weather underground. 85 degrees or better ... all the way in. Oy.

[Flyer]

I checked in on the sign-in thread.

Traffic leaving Houston is as close to gridlock as it can get. Cell phone service is very spotty, gas stations are running out of gas.

I'm glad I home!

[Lazamataz]

Did you see that we decided that the next "L" is to be named after you?:')

I'd like to see a Computer Acronym and phrase GEEK YEAR for naming hurricanes:

AAACK
BS
C++
Daemon
EOF
FOAD
Gates
HTH
IB4TZ
JMHO
KMA
LOL
Microsoft
n00b
OMG
Phishing
Quix
ROFL
STFU TMI
U There?
VLSI
WTF
XXX
Y me?
Zebra (because every list always ends with Zebra)

[squarebarb]

Hello CindyDawg.

I haven't been on the horse thread for a while. Busy.

My ex's relatives are in Highlands (suburb of Houston)but most are youngish and only one elderly in a scooter chair, they should be all right.

[gpapa]

Status thru 9/20/2005.

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/special/eia1_katrina.html

[tiredoflaundry]

898mb? I'm so ready to put on my tinfoil hat! yikes!

[La Enchiladita]

A lot of this is starting to dawn on me, it's clear. Are we a Godly nation or not? Will we follow Him or give way to the satanists (islamists)? It's a battle, a showdown. We can't afford to be entirely secular. We must put HIM first. I have learned something from what you say, and it rings very true to me. There is a certain terror in being alone in nature, as seductive as I find it also.

I see a great deal of passivity on the forum regarding the hurricane, a fatalism, almost a glee. Let us pray for our fellow FReepers to wake up and turn to the Lord, to delight in HIS power and his tender mercies, to love Him and the beauty of the Spirit not the false power of the enemy. Amen.

[Ingtar]

Kat was category 4 windspeed and cat 5 pressure on landfall in MS. She was category 5 for both at landfall in South Louisiana. At least that is what I have read.

[Interesting Times]

Hiya IT...what a nightmare...

It's unreal.

If Rita leaves a swath of devastation comparable to Katrina's, there are going to be far-reaching effects.

[Bahbah]

LOL. I do like unnngh for U though.

[onyx]

Thanks for checkin in. You're staying to ride it out? I forget where you're located? Be safe and post to us often, PLEASE.

[alancarp]

I'll stick with that bet ... besides, a gallon of gas might soon be "considerable money".

[NautiNurse]

the F hurricane should be FUBAR.

[nwctwx]

I don't care to argue with you, but you attacked a post that was just about as factual as yours. You stated it might not hit the U.S. There is no data suggesting that assertation.