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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
aarrghhh... but at least the property damage looks mightily abated if it falls east of High Island.....
10 am forecast is very very bad, time to leave and be homeless for a long time, good luck to all in Rita's path.
Latest vis also shows the ERC....pretty neat.
Go to Pictures at www.1900storm.com. This was a Cat 4. Ever see a F3 do that kind of damage? Wind speed is just part of the problem. The force of the wind provides a lot more pressure on structures when it is full of water.
Thanks for the map. It helps us non-Texans understand some of these posts better.
"Pack up the pictures, jewelry, documents, medicine and get out "
Always good advice.
Thanks! Figuring out how to read those vortex reports is interesting.
She'll probably come out of the ERC as a Cat 4 or maybe a strong Cat 3, and then re-strengthen a bit, I'd guess.
}:-)4
On the current forecast track, Sabine Pass will take the eyewall's NE quad and cease to exist. Port Arthur will get flanked to the right and direct surge will meet funneled surge downtown. Orange and Beaumont are higher, but both downtown areas are too close to the rivers for my comfort. Expect Mobile/Katrina flood problems there.
Grain of salt, it's still turning north/hooking right.
Oil/gas map is denser the closer you get to the Tx/La border.
What? I haven't seen those!
.
William L. on Fox indicating that things aren't built to stand a Cat 5 wind. It is a cost versus risk scenario. I am not sure if he was talking about the refineries or what but it would hold true for whatever.
The 600,000 number came up again..this time 600,000 homeless.
Those ads need an automatic barf alert.
it's flat as a pancake down there - no resistance to hurricanes at all.
I thought it was 100 percent COUNTRY CLUB Republicans.
After all, it is HIS state and he's going to take care of them, right?
Just like he did for his baby brother Jeb.
***That sound you hear is my head exploding***
I saw it this morning for the first tie - made me gag.
OK, switching channels.
BTW, Bush was nowhere to be found here in NC last week; where's my microphone?
That response rocked.
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