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

[Spktyr]

That is true about rural Texas, but Houston is *still* more liberal than Dallas is. Dallas proper is liberal, but all the suburbs (where most people live) is very conservative.

Dallas surrounds two small cities - University Park and Highland Park. The former is the richest suburb (per capita) in the area, if memory serves, and the latter (which is the next richest) is the #1 zip code for Class III (machine gun) firearm ownership in the United States.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

This is NN's thread regarding Rita. If you are looking for chat, this is a polite request to go elsewhere. Some folks might call the kitties out, and trust me that sucks.

[Spktyr]

They voted straight D ticket last four times out.

[conservative in nyc]

Houston's more liberal than Austin?

[umbagi]

That's ok :) ... I think we used to own it.

Yep. Wait 'til they learn why we snap-froze the Peak!

When they figure out how to thaw it, and the fireants start pouring out into Colorado Springs...

[jacquej]

Huh? You just suddenly wake up from a 20 year sleep and discover the internet?

Maybe you should check out DU (democratic underground)

[Torie]

Well when the big quake comes, LA will have no warning. So we will all just be in place. Massive evacuations pre disaster are not a problem. And of course, a massive evacuation would be totally impossible. 15 million folks, and really only 3 major roads out.

[de Buillion]

San Antonio was one of the cities I knew of (lived there a while) and I would be surprised if Austin did not have such a law. And I agree, the state law overrides the city law.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

Your memory serves:)

[Spktyr]

Fewer and fewer people are subscribing to that Dem propaganda rag. The FW Star-Telegram is about to pass it in circulation - in DALLAS!

The DMN is doomed.

[not_apathetic_anymore]

well I sure dont know the set up there, but that doesn't sound good.

[CobaltBlue]

Are you in Galveston?

Jeez, Louise. Have you never heard of storm surge?

The low pressure sucks the water up into a dome of water that precedes the hurricane. Sort of like a mini-tsunami.

Storm surge is perhaps the most destructive meteorological event you can experience in a lifetime on dry land.

Everything it touches, it destroys.

I am as serious as a heart attack.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Kemah.....waves MUCH bigger now.

[Spktyr]

Oddly enough, yes. The liberal ambience of Austin seems to emanate from UT. The general citizenry seem to be more conservative than liberal.

[Colorado Doug]

Think we could get some of uninhabited Colorado? We do need a ski resort inside Texas.

Well, I could make you a better deal on one of the lesser ranges, but you would have to move them.

[Jalapeno]

Posting again for those needing last minute stuff:

"Pin Oak" Home Depot in Houston (59 @610West)will be open at 6am Friday. Opening will be "for a few hours".

I suspect other Home Depots in the area will do the same.

[NautiNurse]

Wee hours of the morning greetings.

[Colorado Doug]

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.

I used to have a camping/fishing resort, not far from Cripple Creek. I had quite a few Texan customers. I always enjoyed them. I have from time to time thought I would like to move to Texas but after living so many years at 9,000 plus feet, I think I would melt there.

[bd476]

Here's a wave height graph with weather and sea condition measurements taken off the Galveston buoy, and plotted out over five days:

[Torie]

We are getting off topic, but I have the numbers. In any event, Bush carried Harris County, and Dallas County by a hair (the metro areas of course are larger), and well, he lost LA county, by close to 2-1, by something like 800,000 votes.