Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VI

NHC - NOAA ^ | 23 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Dangerous Hurricane Rita is expected to make landfall in the northeast Gulf of Mexico within 24 hours. Tornados have spawned in Louisiana. Water is filling the Ninth Ward of New Orleans again. A bus carrying elderly evacuees was gutted by fire this morning outside Dallas, with multiple fatalities. Television crews have positioned their hurricane reporters throughout the region to attain maximum drama effects. Whoooooa.

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
Jefferson Co TX NWS Weather
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:

Lake Charles Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Houston/Galveston Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Lake Charles Experimental Radar Outages and Delays May Occur

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)

KHOU-TV/DT Houston
KPRC-TV/DT Houston
KTRK-TV/DT Houston
KTRH-AM Houston
KPLC-TV/DT Lake Charles/Lafayette
KSLA-TV/DT Shreveport

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
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 V
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

[Moose4]

Out of curiosity, what's Baton Rouge supposed to get out of all this? The Katrina evacuees still there must be freaking out.

}:-)4

[kassie]

Ok.

[Brad’s Gramma]

He's under his bed. Don't worry......

[RedWhiteBlue]

This is close to pure guesswork, but in my observation a faster moving hurricane seems preferable because then it blows on through and goes somewhere else.

Also, the faster it passes, the likelihood of flash floods decreases because it has less time to dump rain.

[jpsb]

last drive, (maybe one more quick one.) , do not want to be driving at night or in hurricane force winds.

[JFC]

You think Nagin bought in Highland Park??

[Tall_Texan]

I noticed a lot of folks in Austin driving around today like they didn't know what lane they should be in. Foreigners!

[johnb838]

THe Houston water guy said we didn't lose water in Alicia, we didn't lose water in Allison, and they're going to try very hard to keep that streak alive.

[BurbankKarl]

Large power outages in La.

[John Jamieson]

Progress Energy must be on fuel oil? One of the last. Most people on FPL I thought. Spent 30 long years in Brevard.

[JFC]

is the SXSW music festival going on there this weekend?

[dirtboy]

You think Nagin bought in Highland Park??

Nah, he's going to have to downscale until the federal money starts rolling in and the NOLA pols can go back to their regularly-scheduled skimming...

[pgkdan]

The Mayor of Houston is from which party?

I thought I read somewhere that he was a democrat...maybe there's hope.

[bwteim]

Part 3 of a Series: If Leadership were Rated Like Hurricanes

"Keeping Your Head During a Crisis": Non-Examples

• Cat 1 - Teddy "the Swimmer"
• Cat 2 - Clinton
• Cat 3 - Carter
• Cat 4 - Fuba-Nagin
• Cat 5 - Snafu-Blanco

[LA Woman3]

You think Nagin bought in Highland Park??


I heard Frisco...

[JFC]

He is Democrat.. but he sure doesn't act like it.

[trillabodilla]

I'm just glad it has downgraded some, and pray for the lives and property in her path.

But I am SURE glad it didn't hit NOL head-on.

But, you know, she could still make a REALLY BIG hook to the east! /sarc

[freema]

You know, I never thought about that, it's just become SOP for FEMA. Second link here, is the unit itself. They also spray at Parris Island.
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18819
http://www.afrc.af.mil/NewsXtra/insects.htm

[johnb838]

He also should have said that personal responsibility for oneself and one's family and friends is mandatory. Don't expect anyone (feds, state, local) to do it all for you

The Mayor has been emphasizing that a surprizing number of times.

[jpsb]

Kemah and I are getting pretty much the same wind, I figured 40+, but I don't have a guage, just guessing. I do know that you have to lean into the wind just a bit to stay on your feet.