Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part V

NHC - NOAA ^ | 22 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Extremely dangerous Category Four Hurricane Rita continues to move toward landfall along the northwest Gulf of Mexico shoreline. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations continue across Texas and Louisiana coastal areas. Lake Charles LA is providing evacuations by bus for residents who have no transportation.

Traffic gridlock in the greater Houston area was compounded by gasoline stations without fuel, long lines at those stations still carrying fuel, and record breaking temperatures on the first day of autumn.

Offshore drilling platforms and rigs, as well as oil refineries, petrochemical and natural gas plants are in the path of the storm. Wave heights recorded by buoy have exceeded 38 feet. The refineries threatened by Hurricane Rita are on higher ground than those affected by flooding from Katrina. As a result, speculation abounds regarding future prices for winter heating fuel and gasoline.

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
KPLC-TV Lake Charles KPLC Streaming
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 IV
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part III
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18

[jeffers]

Uh oh...Plaquemines Parish will go under again....so will St. Bernards, it'll start to anyway...there's either a breach or a deliberately open flood control gate in the SW part of the St B's Parish levee system...

Galveston's seawall will get flanked too...ditto for Texas City...

Might as well bring it up now. Sorry for the all caps but I want to make a point.

ANY REPORTS OF HIGH WATER, NO MATTER HOW CREDIBLE, DESERVE INSTANT ATTENTION.

Ok, I feel better now.

[BurbankKarl]

XM226 (traffic pulse) traffic saying Houston proper is clearing out...the jams are to 20-30 miles outside the city on both Western and Northern routes...

[Rennes Templar]

I watched Wolf Blister on CNN this afternoon. He was saying this is gonna happen and this and this as he gasped for air,half panicked.

[ekwd]

My Air Force uniform should have given them a clue.
I QUIT. I DON'T FEEL LIKE FIGHTING TONIGHT.

[RoseyT]

"East Texas is a HUGE pine forest."

There's no place like home. :)

[jeffers]

Good deal and good hunting. I'm hoping this time it's our turn. Let the whiners see how it is supposed to be done.

Geopyg, thanks for the flooding report. Ping me if you hear more on the subject, please.

[DonnerT]

Nope Flowergirl, Earth is Earth and Erath is Erath. Both are in texas at different ends of the state.

[Rte66]

"Do Texan's have trouble staying on the road?

That's called "keepin' it between the bar ditches."

[ekwd]

But most of Texas is.... WAIT A SECOND, I SAID I QUIT. I DON't FEEL LIKE FIGHTING.

[Spktyr]

Thousands of *cars* maybe, but not people. We'll make sure that doesn't happen.

Heck, Houstonians are picking up those who are stranded and taking them with them if they have the room.

I don't disagree with your idea, I just disagree with your assessment of the situation.

[Wneighbor]

Me either. Besides, how many times have we been promised rain and it all went east of I-35? That said, our neighbors to the southeast need lots of prayers. Good luck with your efforts in Bosque County. The hospital is prepared should we need to house tranfers from more hard hit areas.

I agree with all you've said. My prayers go out to all you at the hospital who are taking care of the transferred patients. And I'm agreeing in prayer with you for those folks to the SE of us.

[jeffers]

Who is XM?

[mrbillxx]

seems to me that if you battened down the hatches and were ready, staying in Houston would be okay, no?

[alancarp]

Believe it or not, this is only 27K -- it's a plot of the last few tracking reports, plus those of the presumed target areas.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

Thanks for the much needed laugh!
"Well, just go ahead and jump, you dumb-arsed Yankee"

[laz]

Never attribute to evil what can be attributed to human fear and stupidity.

Never attribute to stupidity a mindset which is clearly and deliberately anti-truth, anti-morality, anti-JudeoChristian, and anti-God.

[untenured]

XM226 (traffic pulse) traffic saying Houston proper is clearing out...the jams are to 20-30 miles outside the city on both Western and Northern routes...

Karl, it's interesting that you say that. This site, which has updated traffic-flow patterns in Houston, shows clear sailing as of 11:20 on all freeways until you get to FM 1960 on the north side of town. The speed reports at the same site show much the same.

[conservative in nyc]

Here's the Houston freeway traffic map. I-45 is backed up from FM 1960. I-10 is backed up from around RT 6 (although that might be the sensors registering the Contraflow traffic). All other traffic seems to be moving.

[RummyChick]

Cooper is saying that stuff from New Orleans is washing up in Galveston. I wonder if the Spooks will show up, too.


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1489545/posts?q=1&&page=51

[Spktyr]

It's hard to see into those little cars from the height of a 4x4. And you can't see *anything* that small while driving a huge Cadillac with bullhorns on the front. Sorry about that. Come back and we'll buy you a drink or two to make up for it - just don't bring the Bug back.