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Locked on 09/22/2005 3:40:46 AM PDT by Jim Robinson, reason:
New thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1489163/posts |
Posted on 09/21/2005 4:19:11 PM PDT by 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
Lord... what does that mean? Is this a prelude to a turn?
She's on campus in a now lightly-populated dorm and just walked to a Walgreens to pick up some grub to sit out the long weekend....looks like there's not much choice for the poor kid.
Campus "security" assures the parents they won't pull a 'New Orleans Police' gig.
KPRC: Storm shifting northward; landfall now expected near Freeport Friday night near midnight.
Scarborough is the epitome of weenieness!!!
Holy Cow! This is what is worrying me about everybody screaming for everyone to get out right now. I personally feel the people in Houston should stay until tomorrow to let the people in the southern counties out. Houston is huge and densely populated. It takes an hour and a half (from Nasa Rd 1 to Conroe) to cross it during non-traffic times. I suspect that is why the government is asking Houstonians to stay put for now.
I have not reached depression yet but I've been hanging by a thread all day, on the verge of tears, with a few breaking through. I'm a Texan, born and bred, and I love my state and I love my fellow Texans. I have many fond memories of trips to the beach. Corpus when I was a child, Galveston with my own children, staying at Casa Del Mar, my kids chasing crabs at Stewart Beach, etc.,etc.But I also know the reality is that the coast isn't going to be the only area to suffer. :(
Thoughts and prayers, Texas. And also to those of you supporting us. We need it now and we're going to need it for a while to come, so I'll say thank you in advance.
That's what I was thinking, too. And I'm hoping by tomorrow night that's exactly what I'll be doing!
NOLA has to be their centerpiece. Their raison detre, as Kerry would say.
Do you know when the 290 contraflow will start?
That, and the fact that some dry air got into the western side of the storm.
It will give the people more time to get out, but that is one hell of a lot of wind to put up with for a hurricane the size of Rita.
Well there you go again. What a ray of sunshine! You are a very intelligent fella. I have noticed your posts all day and you seem to know, well, EVERYTHING. Thank you so very much for your positive informative posts.
Speaking of all of the above.....who's staying, and who's leaving/left???
The airport's still open, flights out are still fairly cheap.
I've lived all over the country and I think we are really lucky to have the weather teams we have in the Dallas area. They are all pretty dadgum good.
"Mayor Nagin has just ordered all residents back to Galveston.
ROTFLOL! Thanks. You just gave me a really big laugh."
How about
Mayor Nagin has just offered to let Texas evacuees stay in what is left of the superdome.
Forget it. Nobody took me up on my offer, so I took in a family with a pet rescue group that I work with.
Lots of desperate folks out there.
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