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

[AntiGuv]

I'm content. Thanks for the earlier info! You gave me what I wanted.

[NautiNurse]

Have some errands to run this morning before my mother arrives this afternoon.

[AntiGuv]

If he literally said he thinks "Houston and Galveston are pretty much out of the woods" then he is being wildly delusional.

[dixie sass]

I'm listening to 2 also. New Orleans getting outter bands of rain now.

Still a c4.
Moving at 10mph northwesterly.

[dixie sass]

Have fun with your Mom. The dearest friend you will ever have!

[NautiNurse]

I was surprised there were so many listings for Galveston Bay.
I've had this tide program for years. Can print a tide calendar by month. Keep it on the refregerator for boating.

[Zacs Mom]

I just woke up and may not have heard him right but that is what it soundly like to me

[NautiNurse]

Actually, she's just coming to town to house sit. I leave tomorrow for D.C.

[AntiGuv]

Here's a visual of the woods according to the latest NHC track (and keep in mind the 'cone of uncertainty'). As one might see, Houston/Galveston is very much in the woods, and the computer models have actually jigged a bit to the west this morning.

[Flyer]

He was just saying we won't get the devastation like we would on the east side of the storm. He still emphasized up to 125 mph at Galveston.

[familyop]

"MAX FL WIND 126 KT NE QUAD 08:25:00 Z"

~ 145 MPH

[dixie sass]

Channel Two said that it is moving slightly to the west. Had heard earlier that AccuWeather is now predicting Galveston again.

[Jalapeno]

Yes, Galveston is not the place to be.

[Zacs Mom]

Okay, that makes more sense.

[dixie sass]

Oh lucky, whatcha going to DC for. Incredibly nosey, aren't I?

[AntiGuv]

Then, he's ignoring the cone of uncertainty, which covers well to the west of Houston, and also ignoring that the computer models have recentered over Galveston. I'm not trying to be willfully pessimistic, but the above info is accurate, and Houston/Galveston are certainly not out of the woods. There's at least a 33% chance I would say that the eye moves west of Galveston.

[RGVTx]

I clicked your link and got a message asking not to hot link an image from their site because they are having server problems. Overload, I assume. But the image did load after the message.

[LA Woman3]

I leave tomorrow for D.C.



You are leaving us??

[AntiGuv]

I know. I am no longer hot linking their images. One of the Skeetobite people registered on FR and sent me a FReepmail asking that I stop doing so. I had my earlier hotlink deleted and now I'm just posting web links. But, yes, anyone reading this should kindly refrain from hotlinking www.skeetobiteweather.com!

[Flyer]

KHOU has the best weather crew (in my opinion), so I will pay particular attention to his words next time to see if he puts qualifiers on it.