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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
A dangerous Hurricane Rita has forced area officials to issue the first-ever mandatory evacuation. The order covers the cities of Corpus Christi and Portland, and Aransas, Kleberg, Nueces, Refugio and San Patricio counties. The order came late Wednesday.....
Click the link for further info regarding the Corpus area.
Local hurricane statements are linked at top of the thread.
Hey, good to hear from ya.
You should have an interesting perspective on this from not-to-far away.
Good info - thanks.
Yes I see the links at the top of the page. Thanks.
The portion about what kind of damage to expect is new and updated and more than worthy of comment.
I see ALL the links at the top of the page.
The KTRK (link up top) has a lot of traffic cams. I-45 a parking lot. Why no contraflow?
That's what I was wondering.
Why does the weather people have this storm turning north? Why couldn't it go straight into Mexico or southern Tx? I can't understand how they figure it will turn north.
Thanks!
The NOLA Levees are not strong enough at this point to take much increase in water height on the Lake or the Mississippi
And they don't have enough pumping capacity for that kind of rain. They didn't have that capacity even before Katrina. Nagin should be on his knees thankful that somebody slapped the stupid out of him enough to go along with re-evac of NOLA
Dear God please forgive us -- we know not what we do...
I think the high pressure to the north is sliding south faster than expected.
ill keep all posted...maybe i got far enough away to avoid a long haul back,,,this shelter is very empty, and everyone is asleep but me...i have a diversion...freeping
There's an area of low pressure over the west-central US that's supposed to drift to the east and draw the storm towards it. When this takes place is a function of how fast it moves and how fast Rita moves.
Have had on local Austin news/weather. Rita is being pulled west, rather than veering north, right into the Galveston/Houston area due to weather. Seems there was a high pressure sytem in central Texas that would have given some protection. However, the high pressure system has moved to the east and a smaller portion of it has moved to the southwest forming a path between which is pulling Rita right through.
We're supposed to have 75 mph winds Friday evening and Saturday. Went to Walmart yesterday and there are empty spaces on the shelves. Austin tv said bottled water went in 4 minutes and people weren't waiting for it to be stocked. HEB (grocery store) says they'll be getting more shipments of water so not to worry. Topped of the gas at $2.58 but this morning sounds like gas is going to go to $5.00.
I just thank God it's hitting on the weekend - kids and hubby home. We'll check the yard and lakefront area today, but think it'll be better to leave the boat in the lift rather than trailer it. We'll be on the dry side of Rita so don't think we'll flood - if any flooding, it'll be days after the storm. We lose electricity at the drop of a hat so the pantry is always stocked and I have an attic full of water containers to fill every time we suspect flooding or storms so no worries there.
Friends are moving out their horses and livestock. Weekenders are coming in for quick checks of their docks and heading back out of town to their homes to hunker down.
Thank you!
I just see it going straight into Mexico, but then the weather shows it turning north.
I figured it had something to do with pressure, but I wish they pointed that thing straight into Mexico.
Apparently some of them were.
Time for me to go make the donunts.
I'll catch ya later...
God help us. Please.
They probably will do the contraflow. 45 is one of the main arterys in the city, they probably figure they have to wait until people are pretty well buckled down and most of the traffic is off the streets before they can close the inbound lanes.
I believe they did turn the southbound lanes into Galveston around last night at 6:00.
They need to think about getting on this. THis is going to bite us on the butt.
From what Fox and Friends' Rick Leventhal said this AM, the traffic is gridlocked going off the coast on every highway.
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