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Posted on 09/22/2005 3:25:57 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Extremely dangerous Category 5 Hurricane Rita continues to threaten the Greater Houston Metropolitan area. The forecast track has shifted slightly to the northeast, increasing the risk to Southwest Louisiana, and a significant portion of the oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas Governor Perry is urging all coastal residents between Beaumont and Corpus Christi to evacuate as soon as possible.
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
Houston/Galveston/Beaumont/Lake Charles Wx Watches/Warnings
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Louisiana
Hi Res Houston Flood Zone Map Slow load, great detail
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)
KPRC-TV/DT Houston - KPRC-TV/DT Houston - http://mfile.akamai.com/12944/live/reflector:38616.asx
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
Beaumont TX evac Routes
Lake Charles/Southwest LA Evacuation Map
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
KPLC Lake Charles Evac Routes, news
KFDM Beaumont/Port Arthur News, evac info
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 III
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18
The deep reds have gone away (hopefully not temporarily)...
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/float-ir4-loop.html
I think this is a sign of weakening....
It seems to becoming more compact - tighter and more dangerous.
Good to be home, eh?? :-)
Steve is done with school...just in the final days of finishing his thesis...it's written, he just has to spiff it up. He's looking for a job, but we sure don't want to leave Oklahoma...might have to...might end up in Texas, who knows?!
The new Walmart down the road from me had no bottled water...even here in Tulsa, people are preparing!
Bush's fault for not directing traffic.
Looking at the latest IR radar loop it kind of looks like it's weakening I think. It was really really red around the eye and now it's much less so.
Good grief! Why don't people take side roads? Accounts of people taking the freeways is "gridlock." Surely there must be other roads out of these cities. Someone on one of the Katrina thread commented that they took the backroads out and they were clear. The freeway is the LAST route I would use to evacuate.
One thing that these traffic images illustrate is how woefully inadequate our road system is.
You're right of course. Yesterday, we were two hours ahead in the knowledge of Rita going to 5; Everyone had to wait until it was official.
I have been out of Houston for several years, but freeways there are better than Dallas. San Antonio is good, but Austin is terrible.
Thank you for your prayers. That will be the worst part of this storm is the power being out and having to put up with 90 degree weather indoors.
LOL
I've wondered that too. I rarely use freeways even when traveling under normal conditions because they're so often clogged with traffic. I prefer smaller roads. Are there many alternate routes out?
Teddy's fault.
They are telling those of us out in the NW suburbs not to leave. Quite frankly, I think most of Houston is evacuating.
FNC interviewing woman in Galveston who is staying. I think she's nuts.
It looks like it is time to contraflow those roads out of Galveston and Houston but I don't think it's happened yet.
That's one, for sure, but also...
"When he [Mayfield] was named director of the National Hurricane Center in 2000, he followed in the footsteps of two other Southern Baptist laymen--Bob Sheets and Jerry Jarrell. The director before Sheets, Neal Frank, also was an outspoken Christian as well, Mayfield noted.'
"Prayer is a big part of my life," he explained, noting that his prayer is not to change God's will but to ask Him to limit loss of life and property damage."
Source:
Hope, faith guide Hurricane Center director
By BARBARA DENMAN
Florida Baptist Convention
Published June 9, 2005
http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/4410.article
Great link - thanks
geez.
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