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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
You are probably right...
I would guess that within a day of the hurricane being gone, there will be Texans from all over the state, driving down in their pick-ups with tools, and beer...
ready to help put peoples roofs back on their houses...
We don't need no stinkin' government!!!
Heck, it's bad news if it's much past 3 inches. The last I heard (earlier today on I believe Fox), only a third of the pumps were working and the temporary pumps were being moved to higher ground.
It was on for 24 hours. The problem with NO is all exits are by bridges and they are closed when the winds reach 45 mph. Fortunately for Tx once you get past the barrier islands inland you are on dry land for the most part.
Thanks.
Guess I'll go get our lifejackets out of the shed...just encase. :-)
BTTT!
Weather channel said that the hurricane is the size of Georgia. Moving at a forward speed of 9 mph, that is an aweful long time to withstand F3 force winds.
...with the GFS and GFDL models doing their usual afternoon eastward shift...
I was watching WWL the entire time. They kept reporting that it was turned on.... then later that it was turned off for x reason, then it was turned back on, etc., etc.
And there sure as heck wasn't any 24 hours of contraflow.
and where do they go when they run out of gas on the side of the road?
I know this sounds cynical...but since New Orleans is already pretty much trashed and evacuated and will have to be rebuilt anyway, better it to be hit than another largely populated area that up to now has been untouched. Just my warped way of thinking, I guess.
Okay, tell me this: I have some kids in Austin who are in the direct line of fire. (I'm actually more worried about them than I am about us, even tho we're closer to the coast!) Anyway, wouldn't it be better for them if Rita's forward speed was slow like that? That would cause it to expend a lot of its energy before it even got there, right?
I have 5 Min Pins to haul out.
Being calm dogs that should not be a problem.
..............Yeah, right!
... can we get a reprieve on Huntsville?
I don't actually watch him on TV as I can't afford to replace my TV after I've thrown a large heavy object into the screen, but the Bastardibot fanbase on the various weather boards make a point to catalogue what he says, and also repeat his subscription column (Which I actually subscribed to last year for 3 months to simply make a point; In June and July last year, Bastardi predicted tropical storms forming in the Atlantic 30 times, or an average of every other day; there were no tropical systems at all last year in June and July.)
Wow, what a spaced out hiccup. Sorry.
The NWS is saying this beast will make landfall with sustained winds of 155 mph.
Hey thanks! Well I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes (and the late English actor Jeremy Brett, who played Holmes so well.) So I tried the screen name Sherlock Holmes but it was taken. So I decided on Hound of the Baskervilles. First edition? Whoah!
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