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]

nothing but flat land all around. nothing to slow the wind down...

[Cedar]

Watermark (again already?)

[Spktyr]

This would be why I'm looking for the rest of my Jeep's water fording kit....

[steveegg]

I'm hoping (not only for our lawns' sakes, but so that Texas doesn't get completely drowned out).

[fishntex]

I had that exact same reply before I checked. Great minds think alike.

[RDTF]

I signed up - no big deal, the only true thing you need to give is an email address. It's free just like signing up here. I am still trying to find my way around it.

[Flyer]

Water in liquid and frozen states.

[rwfromkansas]

alright......I uploaded it to a photo hosting site that actually surprisingly allows remote linking, village photos.

I posted it later in the thread.

[Aggie Mama]

I've heard the same thing. It took one of our friends 1.5 hrs to go from Clay Road/Beltway to the I-10 interchange.

[rwfromkansas]

The picture is nothing like seeing it big, but I guess I will be nice to dial-up users.

[NautiNurse]

Go figure...surreal

[ekwd]

Cat 4 or 5, whatever! Katrina hammered Hattiesburg, MS 60 miles inland and the best I can tell is that it was still a hurricane when it reached I-20.

Hurricane Opal in 1995 was a "weak Category 3" at landfall and it knocked down thousands and thousands of trees (more than 7000 in Opelika, AL alone according to the NHC history page) more than 200 miles inland. I passed through the Talladega National Forest east of Birmingham in October, 1997. Two years after Opal hit it still reminded me of the damage I saw in Wilmington, NC by Fran less than a week after it hit in 1996.

Even if you are well inland, take this one seriously folks.

[Flyer]

No sandbags here, but I would use 'em if I had them. I'm in a two story that has never flooded.

[Interesting Times]

Here are the 27 CAT 5 hurricanes since 1900, with rankings:

Year Name Minimum Pressure (rank)
1928 not named 929mb (16)
1932 not named
1935 Fl. Keys Storm 892mb (2)
1938 not named 938mb (18)
1947 not named 947mb(20)
1950 Dog
1951 Easy
1955 Janet 914mb (8)
1958 Cleo 948mb (21)
1960 Donna 932mb (17T)
1960 Ethel 981mb (22)
1961 Carla 932mb (17T)
1961 Hattie 920mb (11T)
1967 Beulah 923mb (13)
1969 Camille 905mb (6T)
1971 Edith 943mb (19)
1977 Anita 926mb (15)
1979 David 924mb (14)
1980 Allen 899mb (4)
1988 Gilbert 888mb (1)
1989 Hugo 918mb (10)
1992 Andrew 922mb (12)
1998 Mitch 905mb (6T)
2003 Isabel 915mb (9)
2004 Ivan 910mb (7)
2005 Katrina 902mb (5)
2005 Rita 898mb (3)

[steveegg]

I know the daytime crew was pulling some good info off of there well ahead of NHC releasing it, and I do have a throwaway addy to use.

It's time to get the last of the $2.70 gas in SE Wisconsin and a PowerBall ticket (and some food). Be back in a while.

[Lazamataz]

IT's gridlock. They're just trying to get the people in the storm surge areas out right now. Those of us that are just in danger from the wind are pretty much out of luck at this point in time. We're talking 5 hours to go 10 miles.

I bet it IS gridlock. Thanks for that information. I'm trying to get into the Houston government pages to get any updated warnings/advisories.

[Aggie Mama]

Laz, they are telling everyone inland to stay put. It really has me wonder. Houston/Galveston is a HUGE area. I guess they feel that if everyone left at once it'd be chaos, but it pretty much already is.

[philo]

Boy, if you think the blues started with Led Zep you need to learn a little more about the music.

They had a penchant for adding verses and taking credit for songs i.e... The Lemon Song

[Flux Capacitor]

Why? I'm enjoying watching people turn it into a thread about me. Freeping seems to be turning into seeing how angry people can get over the most innocuous comments.

I don't like mayonnaise. There, now let's see what that one does. (Probably outrage from somebody whose son works in a Hellmann's factory.)

-Dan

[fishntex]

12 hour loops in radar and sat. I have not seen it posted here.

http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/