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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
Aha. Thanks for the correction steve.
The problem with the storm being slow, is that the longer it sits over the gulf, the more the storm surge. The latest track has it closer to Houston. This puppy has the potential to do far more damage to the national economy that Katrina, as it moves into the oil production, import and refining heart of the nation, among other things.
Do you like to stand in the path of machinegun fire?
Somneone should post a ZOT thread with that info!
Thank ya! I'm about to go to bed before I go off and eat some massive food. I quit smoking a month ago and I get these nasty urges...
So they hope...
Excellent advice!
The latest track will put Galveston and Houston in the right eye wall. Worse possible wind & surge..
From what I can make out...it seems to me that we are all staying put...
Although, I haven't seen El Gato, TheMom,LadyX, or humblegunner on the thread tonight...
I was calling everyone in to stop a spitting match that was going on for a while...but I think that Flyer took care of it all by himself...
I hope that El Gato is making sure that Miss Victoria is safe and sound...
I was quizzing some native Metroplex freepers this afternoon to see if they knew if Marine Creek Lake has a habit of flooding...because my daughter's house, with my newest granddaughter, Chase, has that lake as a backyard...
Sinkspur said he'd been here 50 years and it hadn't flooded, so I feel better...just battening down lawn chairs and kiddie toys outside for the wind and rain that we are supposed to get.
We don't. Mostly we get out or we weather it.
Was wondering when someone was going to notice that detail.
That's not a good message to send, since it's based on wishful thinking. The BEST forecast I'm hearing from the various sources is for a "4" storm then. I hope they're not repeating that too often since some may opt to stay if it's 'only' a 3.
The only reason for this not to make landfall as a Cat 5 is luck.
The Deepwater Millenium, A Huge drilling ship, is now reporting 45+ winds...
She's currently south of Pascagoula ...
No it's not but there does seem to be a tendency for western and northern Gulf canes to weaken a tad before landfall.
Staying BG, just about complete on preperations, we are in the woods so not to worried about surface winds, otoh tornados could be a problem. 5 dogs two cats and my brothers two birds along with my shop and tools and 2 boats. Looks like we will be on the dirty side. Will check in after the storm via son in Portland since I am sure all land lines will be down and all we have is dialup service.
Marine Creek Lake flows into Marine Creek, so the spillway will dump any excess water into the Creek. Marine Creek might very well flood if we get a foot of rain in 24 hours.
So what are your plans?
LOL!
"I'd be worried if she stays at 9 mph at landfall. It's just too early to read a lot into it at this point."
It looks like it will be at sea for at least 36 more hours. If the eye wall replacement weakens it overnight it will have all day tomorrow and night to rebuild over the warm water of the gulf.
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