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

[PAR35]

All the way to Seguin is one way? Unbelieveable -- that's a long way from Houston.

It makes some sense. That's the first place traffic will start dropping off significantly as folks peel off to go North on 35 via New Braunfels or San Marcos, or go on it to SA to go south or west.

[freeperfromnj]

Sounds like you made a good judgment call. The roads seem to be clearing and you might be able to leave in the morning. Signing off from Jersey. Godspeed to all of you Texans in the path of storm.

[Sender]

No, I posted no opinion on early evacuations. I think the earlier the better. Clearly when 5 million people take to the interstate, things get congested. Especially when they start running out of gas and Pringles, and they are watching Shrek II for the 47th time.

[toomanygrasshoppers]

I think you are right. It's gonna come a frog strangler. (said with E. Texas accent. :>)

[Tall_Texan]

Actually Dumas is in the Texas Panhandle and is pronounced "Doom-us"

[American72]

"Gun Barrell City..... appropriate name"......I like its original name of Hogs Fart, Texas better.
BnBlFlag signing in at our refuge in Spring Branch (NW Houston) at the home of American72.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

They are talking about Rita stalling out and dumping rain by the foot.....do you have a boat?

[fishntex]

General Honore deserves a medal for that. Or a promotion to White House press secretary.

[jeffers]

The new 2300 projection puts landfall only 2.4 miles southwest of the 1700 track, a difference that is well within the expected error of using lines instead of curves between datapoints.

For all intents and purposes, the 1700 graphic is still good.

[Zacs Mom]

It took my hubby 26 hours to bring his aunt up to Dallas from Galveston - he said the folks on the road were absolutely wonderful! Polite, helpful and friendly! Thank heavens...I know it made this ordeal a whole lot easier for everyone involved.

They are saying this is that largest mass evacuation in US history ~ I was wondering about that earlier ... I couldn't think of any thing that even came close to this!

[Dog Gone]

But that would be a Golden Triangle worst case scenario.

[tcrlaf]

Woman whining on local radio because she only got $225 when she flooded, and now Fema is handing out thousands...

What the H is happening in America? Have we become the land of the Great Handout??

[Hilltop]

Sounds somewhat like Church's chicken.

Try Popeye's! Plus dirty rice.

[Rte66]

I think she cried all the way to the bank. Do you know about "Bayou Bend" and other of her philanthropies and indulgences?

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[commish]

another good one here in Alabama is the booming metropolis of SLAPOUT.

[Zechariah_8_13]

There is a small city in West Texas named Dumas. Phil Harris had a song called "Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas", and more recently I heard one called "I'm Proud to be from Dumas (Pronounced Dum-ass) Texas".

ROTGL

What's their high school mascot? Drooly Guy?

[Palladin]

I wouldn't be surprised, if it was one of those sick elderly persons being evacuated on a bus.

Whatever happened to the folks who were reported to have fainted from carbon monoxide poisoning last night?

[Spktyr]

Some of your fellow Ohio citizens didn't listen to the MSM either, and they took up a collection.

The citizens of Cincinnati sent the fledgeling Texas Army under Sam Houston his only artillery, a pair of identical four-pounder cannon with which we pounded the heck out of the Mexican Army at San Jacinto. They were called the Twin Sisters, and they occupy a revered place in Texas history. We don't forget things like that.

[steveegg]

If that continues to hold, it looks like the eastern eye/eyewall (depending on how wide the eye is on landfall) will be slamming Port Arthur and Beaumont). Ouch.