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]

Traffic's not that bad until the Parramatta Camera. That's near Exit 66 of I-45. Traffic near Rankin (Exit 63) looks light and Little York (Exit 55) looks deserted. Louetta is further up I-45 near Exit 70. After that, I-45 merges with the Hardy Toll Road around Exit 72. So traffic is backed up 6 miles before a big merge.

The most recent report I've heard said Contraflow begins at FM-1488 - Exit 81, where I-45 becomes 2 lanes in each direction. There are no cameras there, but reports are that the Contraflow traffic is running smoothly - 65MPH in some places, even. So you may be looking at a 15 mile backup, which isn't bad, under the circumstances.

[kcar]

You're right. I remember the southbound divergence of the Toll road now - remember it as a sudden thing you had best know about up front because if you didn't you have to scramble and the knowing folks on that road really trundle by unforgivingly! Just a Woodlands visitor then, often lost. Nice place with hidden everything (Shopping, gas stations, business offices). 4-way stop signs and everyone polite. Policemen on horses. Pappadeux restaurant.

Stay safe.

[del4hope]

"If there is one simple truth we can learn from this storm, it is that you can't evacuate 5 million people in 3 days. We must learn to hang tough, with snorkel in one hand and 12-gauge in the other, and damn the Cindies."


Good point. Great post LOL

[james_f_hall]

prolly has a Kerry bumper sticker or a anti-w sticker. Media will find them and put them on TV. Beware.

[freeperfromnj]

Brit rightly told him it was not possible to IMMEDIATELY coordinate 4 million to leave at once.

The media elites don't have a lot of common sense.

[jeffers]

Someone earlier said Port A has a population of 50K and change.

I think.

[CindyDawg]

I have nothing to base it on but I have had a gut feeling all along that this girl is supposed to go to south Texas but just can't find it:')

[VirginiaMom]

I'm just sticking with TWC from here on out I think. It's better for my mental health.

[fishntex]

“Brown's a blatherskite”

Thank you dictionary.com, I have never heard that one before but I like that word. Reminds me of something the Black Adder would say. I like to call Aaron Brown Baron Frown.

[Dog Gone]

Gosh, I wish I'd seen your 651 before I sprained my eyes on post 649.

[Txsleuth]

That sounds wonderful...

A cold front with some rain sounds good....which would come from the northwest....I guess maybe pushing the hurricane remnants to the east over LA???

I DID hear one comment today, that if this works out that the hurricane stalls over LA..then it could dump a couple of feet of water into the Mississippi River..right into NO!

[bwteim]

I think that is about right, maybe 60K. I had looked at their newspaper earlier in day and read that the city was happy with their Cat 3 system. Prayers for all in the storm's way.

[BIGLOOK]

Got a reply from NC Jim....said they were battered chicken breast, served with BBQ sauce or Tabasco. Never heard the term 'fenders' before...but it makes sense.

I have to tell you if you like your chicken spicy hot, try African Chicken. Marinated in hot sauce from the day it hatched.

[Rte66]

They were saying "Buffalo" here in town, which was funny because my friend and her family had already planned to go to the BIL's deer lease in Buffalo--I asked them who they bribed.

(None of them went, anyway--22 people in a tiny little cabin! Yikes! They're hunkered down a few blocks from me now.)

[John Jamieson]

I live about 3 miles from GBC. No gun barrel factory or any other factory that I know of.

The The place was named from the main street which now crosses Cedar Creek Lake. It was "Straight as a Gun Barrel".

[Spktyr]

You may not be able to do it in three days - but it looks a lot like we can do it in four. And I think it will get done. We still have 28 hours.

Weren't you one of the people saying that Monday was too early to be ordering evacuations?

[AFPhys]

PORT ARTHUR TX 17 11 1 X 29
GALVESTON TX 20 7 1 1 29

As I pointed out before, the "1" in the C and D columns are clearly incorrect. They MUST be meant to be 100.

It is hard to be sure about some of the other locations listed.

[RoseofTexas]

"The media elites don't have a lot of common sense"

That's because they're STUCK ON STUPID!!!

[steveegg]

Doh! I am getting tired and the mind is not functioning. Thanks.

Neither is mine (though I had my breakdown earlier :-)