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

[dfwgator]

And it will have a cold front nearby to enhance rainfall, like Agnes.

We're talking a tornado machine here.

[NautiNurse]

Did Rita not finish her ERC, or is this another one?

Last I heard around dawn, they weren't sure whether this was a new ERC, or the end of the last one. Pressure holding steady now.

[sarasota]

There doesn't have to be a "breakage" for water to be coming in. The Corps knows how to choose their words wisely.

[olrtex]

Cool it, dingbat!

[dixie sass]

Throughly enjoyed them this morning.

[steveegg]

Sounds like she's been shading slightly south on average, but within the margins of error.

[shield]

Yep, I agree. When I woke up this AM after reports here at FR, how she was going to re-strengthen once she got over the warm eddy. I was thrilled to see her actual winds were down to 138 (KHOU always gives the actual winds even though NHC is giving 140) and pressure 930, and rising. I expect Rita to be a strong Cat 3, however, if dry air continues to be sucked into her and pressure continues to rise...she maybe a middle Cat 3. She's still far enough out and she's large enough to suck in the dry air due to her counterclockwise motion which gives her more time for winds to reduce.

[mtbopfuyn]

But of course Nagin didn't go back to NO.

BTW, Austin and Marble Falls, TX schools are closed and housing evacuees in gyms and lunchrooms. UT Austin will remain open but campuses in New Braunfels and San Antonio are closed. Area high schools have called off football games tonight, not that we're getting any weather now that Rita has turned, but they didn't want the buses out on the roads with all the traffic. For once, a good admin decision.

[LikeLight]

Pinged.

[4everontheRight]

That is what Joe Sobel with Accuweather said....this storm is going to just sit there and rain, rain, rain.

[WxMan2000]

They are nasty to decode :) The "99xxx" in the first line of the UZNT13's gives the pressure...i.e., 99925 means surface pressure of 925 mb.

[RDTF]

and flood flood flood

[Ichneumon]

Probably an exploding oxygen tank.

Oxygen can't explode. It can contribute to something *else* exploding, but it doesn't itself explode.

[dixie sass]

Oh lordy, darling dirt - I try to keep Hugo out of my mind. Still have nightmares about that monster. If you've ever heard the civil defense message that all of a sudden goes from this is a drill performed in accordance... to This is not a drill turn to your local ...

[LA Woman3]

http://www.wdsu.com/index.html


See where the worst flooding and levee breaks happened and main disaster locations.

[steveegg]

Dunno if it's good or not to see that I'm not the only one that doesn't have a good feel on whether this is 1 long ERC or quick multple ones. I also don't know why they went with 930 mb for the 7 am advisory; going back through the recon archives over at Texas A&M, I couldn't find a 930 mb mention in the last 3 hours.

[Ichneumon]

Water gushing into NO's 9th ward

Damn that racist hurricane...

[RDTF]

Pinging you - Are you around? Where ya been?

[publana]

Conservativewasp wasn't the dingbat. The "all of one skin color" post was offensive to me as well.

[steveegg]

Thanks. And here I thought raw METARs were bad :-)