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

[steveegg]

ROFLMAO (though how the Swimmer could be a Cat 1 in anything is beyond me).

[johnb838]

There is about to be a gas riot at I45 and Tidwell. Cops on the scene.

[bwteim]

I thought Fuba-Nagin rhymes better, like a verb. FubarNagin doesn't quite roll off the tongue.

Somebody earlier had "pulling a Nagin": certainly destined to enter my dictionary.

[RDTF]

Hey Steve - anyone say yet why they were all off on the time of landfall by so many hours?

[LA Woman3]

they've got the a/c running though, right?


One would hope....I can't dwell on it being so close.

[dirtboy]

Looking at the radar loop, it looks like the winds are now blowing NNW across Ponchatrain, which should push the surge away from the levees.

But if they were eroded down below lake level, water will still come in later.

[bwteim]

He was only added at the bottom of the scale to show how Low the scale goes, like ballast.

[steveegg]

Gotcha :-)

[freema]

Wouldn't it be lovely! LOL!

[CajunConservative]

I'm in Lafayette and it's been steady raining and a little gusty since noon. We haven't had any thunder yet though.

[squarebarb]

Heard from Captain C about an hour and a half ago. He said the first light rain and moderate winds were arriving.

I'll go down tonight and stay with my neighbor. She'll be hearing from him probably every half hour as long as the cell phone service stays good.

I'll try to post from there. She's on the Net.

[Cboldt]

Manufactured by Hush-a-Boom, Ltd.

"Hey, Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit outa' muh hat - nuthin'up muh sleeve ..."

[freema]

I suppose not.
Not on my list of career choices.
Bless their hearts.

[james_f_hall]

It's Texas, you can't get away "acting" like a Democrat and get elected. (Sheila Jackson Lee being the exception to the rule)

[abb]

Ruston (North Central) here. Been breezy here today so far. Estimate 10-15 mph.

[Robert A Cook PE]

A photo group I saw this morning showed over 15 different levee breaks around NOLA.

Most (when the overhead photo's were taken) were still flowing water. Seems that the news media "forgot" to tell us that the Army/FEMA/Bush had almost gotten NOLA back dry again.

Before these latest breaks at least.

[Sender]

When President Bush didn't go immediately to NO, the left howled that he didn't care.

When he later visited the Gulf coast, the left howled that he was holding up relief workers by his presence.

When he offered to come to Texas before this storm, the left asked him why, and for what purpose? To compensate for past apathy?

Now when he wisely stays out so as not to hinder search and rescue, the left will undoubtedly howl that he is a coward.

Bush haters are blind to their own absurdity.

[JFC]

Ok.. thanks.. we have been to SXSW. We love Austin City Limits.. also.

[squarebarb]

Also, ProudVet77 was kind enough to let me know that a tugboat's pilothouse is one of the safest places to ride out a hurricane. Told my neighbor this, it was reassuring.

[DonnerT]

I see what looks like rapid intensifying. Convection rewrapping around the center again and a circular eye. I hope I am just being paranoid when looking at the satellite IR.

Appears Rita is making her own supply of warm water vapor for power. Rain that normally cools air is falling on very hot land and producing steam that continues to fuel her engine. She may remain stronger than one would usually expect as long as she can draw moisture from the gulf.