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It could be a little nasty here in the DFW area on Sunday.

Special Weather Statement
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
525 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005

TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-220300-
ANDERSON-BELL-BOSQUE-COLLIN-COMANCHE-COOKE-CORYELL-DALLAS-DELTA-
DENTON-EASTLAND-ELLIS-ERATH-FALLS-FANNIN-FREESTONE-GRAYSON-HAMILTON-
HENDERSON-HILL-HOOD-HOPKINS-HUNT-JACK-JOHNSON-KAUFMAN-LAMAR-LAMPASAS-
LEON-LIMESTONE-MCLENNAN-MILAM-MILLS-MONTAGUE-NAVARRO-PALO PINTO-
PARKER-RAINS-ROBERTSON-ROCKWALL-SOMERVELL-STEPHENS-TARRANT-VAN ZANDT-
WISE-YOUNG-
525 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005

...EFFECTS FROM MAJOR HURRICANE RITA EXPECTED ACROSS NORTH TEXAS...

HURRICANE RITA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE UPPER AND
MIDDLE TEXAS GULF COAST PRIOR TO SUNRISE ON SATURDAY. RITA HAS
INTENSIFIED TO A CATEGORY 5 STORM ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE THIS
AFTERNOON. FORTUNATELY THE HURRICANE SHOULD WEAKEN SLIGHTLY BEFORE
MAKING LANDFALL...BUT IS STILL EXPECTED TO BE A DANGEROUS CATEGORY 4
STORM.

AFTER THE STORM MAKES LANDFALL...THE HURRICANE SHOULD WEAKEN RAPIDLY
AS IT MOVES INLAND. THE LATEST FORECAST TRACK FROM THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER WOULD BRING THE WEAKENING HURRICANE NORTH TO NEAR
WACO SATURDAY NIGHT AND NEAR THE METROPLEX AROUND NOON ON SUNDAY.

SHOULD THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF THE HURRICANE VERIFY...THE
FOLLOWING EFFECTS WILL BE POSSIBLE...IF NOT LIKELY ACROSS NORTH
TEXAS.

1. STRONG WINDS. 40 TO 60 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS...WITH HIGHER GUSTS IN
SQUALLS...SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LAMPASAS...TO HILLSBORO...TO ATHENS.
THESE WINDS MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO KNOCK DOWN TREES...POWER LINES
AND CAUSE LOCALIZED MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. RESIDENTS IN THIS AREA
SHOULD PREPARE FOR INTERRUPTIONS IN POWER SERVICE. ALSO REMEMBER...
MOBILE HOMES OFTEN ROLL OVER DURING PERIODS OF HIGH WINDS AND CAN
EASILY BE DAMAGED BY FALLING TREES. WINDS SHOULD TAPER OFF TO 30 TO
40 MPH FARTHER NORTH ON SUNDAY MORNING...AS THE STORM APPROACHES THE
METROPLEX. RESIDENTS ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TEXAS SHOULD SECURE SMALL
AND LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS.

2. HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLOODING. 4 TO 6 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE I-35
CORRIDOR. DEPENDING UPON THE RATE OF MOVEMENT OF THE SYSTEM...TOO
MUCH RAIN MAY FALL IN TOO SHORT A TIME TO ALLOW SOILS TO SOAK UP THE
RAINFALL. THUS...SOME FLOODING MAY RESULT. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL
LIKELY BE ISSUED LATER FOR THIS WEEKEND.

3. A FEW TORNADOES. AS WITH ALL LANDFALLING HURRICANES...ISOLATED
TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE. THIS WILL BE MOST LIKELY ALONG AND TO
THE EAST OF THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR.

4. TRAVEL PROBLEMS. INCREASED TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATES AS PEOPLE
EVACUATE FROM THE HURRICANE. WET ROADS...HEAVY RAINFALL AND INCREASED
TRAFFIC COULD LEAD TO DELAYS AND ACCIDENTS. SOME AIRLINE DELAYS WILL
BE POSSIBLE. ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATIONS THIS
WEEKEND.

DISSIPATING HURRICANES HAVE MOVED ACROSS NORTH TEXAS MANY TIMES IN
THE PAST...TYPICALLY WITH SOME WIND DAMAGE AND FLOODING. RESIDENTS
AND THOSE PLANNING TRAVEL ACROSS NORTH TEXAS THIS WEEKEND SHOULD
BE PREPARED FOR THIS SYSTEM AND STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION.

MORE INFORMATION ON HURRICANE RITA...AND OTHER TROPICAL SYSTEMS
THAT HAVE AFFECTED NORTH TEXAS...IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AT:

WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FWD