At 1 PM CDT...1800z...the center of Hurricane Rita was located near
latitude 27.8 north...longitude 92.2 west or about 190 miles
southeast of Galveston Texas and about 175 miles southeast of
Port Arthur Texas.
Rita is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph and this motion is
expected to continue during the next 24 hours. On this track...the
core of Rita will make landfall near the southwest Louisiana and
Upper Texas coasts early Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 125 mph with higher
gusts. Rita is now a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
scale. A further slow weakening is possible before landfall...but
Rita is still expected to come ashore as a dangerous hurricane.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 85 miles from the
center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up
to 205 miles. An elevated platform on Isle denieres near the
south-central Louisiana coast just reported sustained winds of 58
mph.
Latest minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force
reconnaissance plane was 931 mb...27.49 inches.
Thanks dear FRiend. What's your weather like right now?
We're overcast and BREEZY.