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

[No Blue States]

Thanks for the compliment, but im mostly stingy and selfish.
I dont know what came over me. ;)

[AliVeritas]

You guys watching the conf. on helicopter rescue in TX?
Center Channel
http://www.weatherserver.net/ritavideotexas.htm

[laz]

Guy in the hat and tight tee shirt on TWT just said that in Port Arthur, they picked people up in busses. Then they drove them to AF C130's (cargo planes) and just drove the busses in! Can you imagine being a passenger on those busses and riding into the cargo hold of a C130?

Cool!

But I expect this during a press conference:

Reporter: Why wasn't this done in New Orleans before Katrina?
General Honore: You are stuck on stupid!

[dixie sass]

Things are okay here. I can't believe how far out the bands of this storm extend. We had a tropical downpour yesterday afternoon. When you looked at the radar it was one of the outer arms of Rita.

Hope that y'all get some rain soon. My Aunt in Western PA is in the same fix as you. Keeping my fingers crossed that y'all get some rain.

[blam]

"Privately, ReporterDude says officials tell him they don't know how levees will hold up."

My expectation is that NO will reflood if the storm hits Beaumont or further east. They'll get the Mobile Bay effect that we got during Katrina. The water was pushed up the bay by south winds and flooded the entire downtown area.

[dixie sass]

Another levee breach in NO.

[Sooner Gal]

You said:

{Dog Gone is}West, out I-10 around the Katy area. He'll be okay if it hits around Beaumont.

I say:

Thanks for replying. I'm riding it out in the area of 290 and Barker Cypress and it made me a bit nervous that his entire neighborhood had evacuated. (Mine hasn't)

[GummyIII]

Howdy, neighbor...and dry it is.

[AppyPappy]

I'm waiting for the next tracking map but I bet it tracks a little more east.

[ElisabethInCincy]

Question: The radar they are showing on all news channels, There is purple colors in the center.. They disappear then come back and grow larger what does that mean ?....

[Spktyr]

45 is open again and moving.

[steveegg]

New Vortex Data Message to chew over while we wait for the 10 am slew of updates - Eye fix at 9:10 am (previous was at 6:43 am) - pressure up 2 mb to 929 mb, max flight-level wind down 3 knots to 126 knots in the NE quad -

043 
URNT12 KNHC 231433
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 23/14:10:10Z
B. 27 deg 14 min N
  091 deg 48 min W
C. 700 mb 2488 m
D. 75  kt
E. 237 deg 027 nm
F. 322 deg 111 kt
G. 237 deg 014 nm
H.         929 mb
I.  12 C/ 3048 m
J.  18 C/ 3043 m
K.  14 C/ NA
L. CLOSED
M. C28
N. 12345/ 7
O. 0.02 / 2  nm
P. AF307 2118A RITA         OB 29
MAX FL WIND 123 KT NE QUAD 11:48:40 Z
MAX FL TEMP 19 C, 238 / 8NM
EYEWALL THIN SE THRU SSW.

Other significant changes in the 2:27 since the last vortex:

- Movement 9 minutes north, 21 minutes west
- Eye now circular and 28 nm wide

[bwteim]

On 'bright side', according to one science guy, rain would help with pollution clean off of streets...

[LA Woman3]

WBRZ TV station in Baton Rouge reported the water is waist high....

[Strategerist]

I'm waiting for the next tracking map but I bet it tracks a little more east.

Yet another long westward wobble the last couple of hours, actually. You likely won't see the forecast track moved at all.

[No Blue States]

I35 can really back up at Hillboro before the split to FW and Dallas even on a holiday weekend, once north of there its usually much better.

[dfwgator]

according to one science guy, rain would help with pollution clean off of streets...

Was his name Travis Bickle? :)

[OleMissRebelYell]

Okay; who wants to start a Stephanie Abrams fan club? ;-)

I'm in!!!

[bwteim]

On the dismal side, no matter how you slice it, at the individual level, Rita, like Katrina, has s&*t written all over it.