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

[conservative in nyc]

Kemah's on fairly low ground (sloping up to 10-16 feet, tops). I can't tell if it has a floodwall from the Google Earth images. It does have a large marina and some sort of amusement-type complex on the entrance to Clear Lake. My guess is that's where the boardwalk is.

[glock rocks]

!

[Brad’s Gramma]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1489655/posts?page=1510#1510

conservative in nyc put up a map. ;)

[familyop]

It's no problem. If you ever get down that way, do see Padre Island (enter at Padre Island Park) and drive down Ocean Drive in Corpus Christi. Maybe visit the State Park at Lake Corpus Christi (formerly Lake Mathis, IIRC), Wilder Wildlife Refuge (only if you can arrange a history briefing about the place and founding family), and Garner State Park in the west (near Concan, and Leakey, if I remember correctly). There are some beautiful people and places to see.

[D-fendr]

I just checked the latest forecast on weather underground. It has the eye coming within about 25 miles east of Tyler.

WeatherUnderground Forecast for Tyler, Tx

[Brad’s Gramma]

Thanks.

[CobaltBlue]

I'd love to see a loop that is far enough away to show the steering currents. These things slide along the steering currents like a ball in a pinball machine.

North seems consistent with the closeups I can find.

But since it slowed down -- who knows what tomorrow will bring? Only the steering currents can tell you that.

[Spktyr]

You might want to look up thread a bit for the discussion of the proper treatment of a "da**yankee". It involved tar, pitch, hot coals, a rail, rope, feathers, and a branding iron.

[publana]

Kemah has the best seafood restaurants.

[de Buillion]

Thanks- I do have a TX CHP, but we really did not discuss long guns, although I was aware that STATE LAW says that they are legal, while some cities have laws against loaded shotguns/ rifles ( I think).

[John Jamieson]

I once ran out out gas in Beaumont, Texas coming back from Florida. A very nice female cop stopped to help, drove me to a gas station and drove back to my car. Texas is a very friendly place.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Well!

[KingKongCobra]

I'm going to cut you some slack since I know you can't see what's really going on here. The local news people are showing dozens of stories of people helping other people. Cars break down and scores of locals arrive with water, gas, food. The local news is showing the many examples of the best kind of neighbors. but, all you see is the feces on national networks. Those fools make it look like people are not making progress which is false. yes, there are traffic problems but they are temporary. In fact, right now, traffic is moving at 60+ mph all over Houston until you get about 40 miles out of town. Then, there's a small bottleneck which will hold you back for a while until you get through. There are still buses for anyone who needs one and shelters all over the place. If you want out, you can get out and there's still about 24 hours of time left.

[not_apathetic_anymore]

Where are these TX mountains? If I knew you had places that had a cooler climate I might consider a move...one of these days Berkeley North is going to get the best of me:)

[conservative in nyc]

Traffic's pretty much cleared out in metropolitan Houston south of the Woodlands.

One Woodlands traffic camera, which was put online in the last few hours:

[Colorado Doug]

You can keep Pike's btw. ;)

Well, I was going to throw in Cheyenne Mountain and NORAD but not if your gonna be that way about it.

[familyop]

"I just love Texas. I just wish you had at least one, tall cool mountain down there.Come to think of it, I'd make y'all a pretty good deal on Pikes Peak."

Many of the people who live west of Pike's Peak are from Texas. There are quite a few between Guffey and Cripple Creek. Texans have been moving back and forth to Colorado since their ancestors drove cattle here the hard way.

[Spktyr]

San Antonio does have such a law on the books, but they will never enforce it. If they try, the state will come down on them so fast, it'll make their heads spin. It is both illegal and unenforcable.

Texas has a state sovereignty clause for firearms laws. After Federal laws, there ARE no other laws concerning firearms and the conduct thereof other than those passed at the state level. This was recently proven out when Houston banned gun shows in city limits and got sued. Houston lost. They then appealed it to a Federal court, which affirmed the state constitution's provision of state sovereignty in the matter, and told Houston to get lost.

San Antonion has never, ever enforced that law, and now they never will.

[Torie]

I will take your word for it. But I hate to break it to you, but Houston is filled with Yankees. Heck my brother lived there for a time. He quite enjoyed it. By the way, Houston reminds me more of LA than any other city in the US (age, architecture in and around downtown, car dependent, poor traffic conditions, etc), sans the beach and mountains.

[Colorado Doug]

Most folks would call 8700' a mountain.

I think we would call that a valley. ;-)