Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VII

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

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Rita landfall is anticipated within the next few hours. Strong winds and heavy rains are battering southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.

MSM news crews are shouting over the howling winds as they foolishly describe blowing rain, swaying trees, and crashing waves through rain splattered camera lenses. It's a hurricane. We know these things already.

An 18 wheeler rig reportedly overturned on an I-10 bridge. The fate of the truck driver is unknown at this time. Reports of widespread power outages in Lake Charles. KPLC-TV Lake Charles local news has remarkably improvised their reporting from a remote location. They are taking calls from residents, NWS, and public utility representatives, and alerting residents to local conditions.

On the flip side, CNN announced to the world that law enforcement officers had evacuated from Port Arthur TX with the rest of the population. Engraved looter invitations would have been more elegant.

Godspeed to all those in the path of this storm.

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 VI
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

[Timeout]

No insult intended! I love Tulsa...just picked a name out of the air. My point was that they're happy to use the energy but wouldn't dream of producing/refining it themselves.

Repent: Your theory works IF those who live near natural resources are willing to extract/share. California is not. They're the biggest users, scream when the price goes up, yet act all high and mighty if someone suggests they build a refinery/power plant.

[XEHRpa]

I also heard they were talking about Lake Charles Casinos getting clobbered.

Mississippi casinos expunged, sin-city NOLA flooded out, and now more casinos... Sounds like the Man upstairs is saying "Can you hear me now?"

[TomGuy]

KPRC 2 Hou:

Strip mall in Pasadena, TX on fire.

Auto Zone (allot of chemical related products), Family Dollar and several other stores engaged.

Fire dept allowing it to burn itself out; they are spraying other area buildings to keep the fire (embers) from spreading.

Most power is out in Pasadena area.

[antivenom]

Due to alcohol

[ekwd]

A lot of good Baptists and Catholics down there too.

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Rita Intermediate Advisory Number 27a
Statement as of 7:00 am CDT on September 24, 2005

 
...Rita moves farther inland...weakens to a category two
hurricane...

At 7 am CDT...1200z...the Hurricane Warning west of High Island
Texas has been discontinued. 

 
A Hurricane Warning remains in effect from High Island to Morgan
City Louisiana.  

A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for the southeastern
coast of Louisiana east of Morgan City to the mouth of the Pearl
River...including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain
...And from south of Sargent Texas to Port O'Connor Texas. 

 

For storm information specific to your area...including possible
inland watches and warnings...please monitor products issued
by your local weather office.

 
At 7 am CDT...1200z...the center of Hurricane Rita was located near
latitude 30.4 north...longitude  94.2 West....Midway between Jasper
and Beaumont Texas.

 
Rita is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph.  A gradual turn
toward the north and a decrease in forward motion is expected
during the next 24 hours.  This motion should bring the center of
Rita farther inland over southeastern Texas today.

 
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 100 mph...with higher
gusts.  This makes Rita a category two hurricane on the
Saffir-Simpson scale.  Additional weakening is expected today as
the center moves farther inland.

 
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to  85 miles from the
center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up
to 205 miles.  A ham radio report indicates that Jasper Texas
measured a wind gust to 85 mph recently. 

Estimated minimum central pressure is 950 mb...28.05 inches. 

 
Coastal storm surge flooding of 15 feet above normal tide levels...
locally up to 20 feet at head of bays and nearby rivers...with
large and dangerous battering waves...were probably experienced
to the east of where the center made landfall. The coastal storm
flooding should begin to slowly subside today.  Tides along the
southeast Louisiana and Mississippi coasts in areas affected by
Katrina could be 4 to 6 feet above normal and be accompanied by
large waves... and residents there are experiencing coastal
flooding.  Large swells generated by Rita will likely continue to
affect most portions of the Gulf Coast.

 
Since Rita is movingly slowly and is forecast to slow down further
over the next few days...rainfall totals of 10 to 15 inches are
expected over eastern Texas and western Louisiana.  Maximum
rainfall totals in excess of 25 inches may occur over localized
areas.  Rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches with isolated heavier
amounts are possible over southeastern Louisiana including
metropolitan New Orleans.

 
Isolated tornadoes are possible today and tonight over far eastern
Texas...Louisiana...southern Arkansas...and Mississippi.

 
Repeating the 7 am CDT position...30.4 N... 94.2 W.  Movement
toward...northwest near 12 mph.  Maximum sustained winds...100 mph. 
Minimum central pressure... 950 mb.

 
The next advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at
10 am CDT.

 
Forecaster Avila

[Timeout]

I've been half-listening to the reports, but I get the impression they think the worst is over once the eye has passed. Not by a long shot!

We breathed a sigh of relief as Katrina's eye passed over because the damage seemed so minor here in Mobile. Then came the back side of the storm. It was at least 5 times worse than the front side. I'd say 90% of our damage was done after the eye.

Maybe Rita will be different.

[TomGuy]

FoxNews

2 levee breeches in N.O.

[jeffers]

Winds are tropical storm force, less than75 mph...buildings should be ok. The local FOX affiliate just said that NO will see a surge of 6 to 8 feet though. That won't bother him behind solid levees, but I have a feeling that downtown NO could flood deep again.

[laz]

The impression I am getting is that the damage from Rita is relatively minor to the damage that was forecast.

From your lips to God's ear... but I fear your impression is quite incorrect.

[ekwd]

When you have the time could you email me info on just how bad you got hit. Believe it or not, even here in Huntsville, we don't seem to know what happened any where east of NO.

[Nita Nupress]

We're ok so far, but it's bad. I mean REALLY bad. And we're not even on the bad side of the storm. Electricity went out around 9:30. We have huge oak trees down everywhere, filling up both the front and back yard. House next door has circuit breaker stripped & hanging from house -- huge white oak fell over elec lines, causing that damage.

The roar is not describable. Surreal. Listen to klvi.com. beaumont station taking live call-ins from all the people who couldn't or wouldn't evacuate. Can hear fear in their voices. Glad I'm not the nervous type or I'd be a basket case by now.

I fear what daybreak will reveal. Entire Golden Triangle area may be like this yard front and back.

Questions:
1. Where is eye right now & how strong are winds?
2. What's on TV?
3. Has Geraldo fallen yet?

[topher]

Hurricane Audrey of 1957 was the one I referred to earlier as Hurricane Audra... I heard tales about this storm as we moved to Louisiana some time after it hit.

We were living in Sulphur...

[pageonetoo]

Do you stay up all night, or do you have an alter ego?

BTW, I haven't seen much discussion in how well he Mississipi basin will handle the deluge, and will NO catch any flooding from that direction?

[mystery-ak]

Thanks...I just saw Jeff Goldblatts report from NO...doesn't look to windy there now...I feel a lot better...

[cajungirl]

Just read something odd on NOLA forum. There are said to be locks between the Miss River and Lake Ponchatrain that "regulate water levels" between the two. I never heard of such. Anyway they are broken since Katrina and stuck in the "open position". I don't know if this is connected with the Bonnet Carre spillway outside NO used if the Miss gets too high.

Does anyone know about this?

[mware]

Good for you Nita. You still have your sense of humor.

You Texans are quite a breed.

[laz]

Sounds like the Man upstairs is saying "Can you hear me now?"

Well, He did overturn the tables outside the Temple.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid many are absolutely deaf, or simply not answering the phone.

[frankjr]

" 2 levee breeches in N.O."

I don't even know how they can start to rebuild N.O. until they figure out what to do about the levee's. Last night on Fox, O'Reilly asked and Army Corps of Engineers' guy if funds were UNLIMITED how long it would take to get the levees to the point where they could handle a Cat 5 hurricane. The response was 3-5 years! No cost estimate was provided.

I hope somebody takes a serious look at which parts of N.O. should be rebuilt (vs. turning it into a marsh) before billions are spent.

[NautiNurse]

FoxNews: 2 levee breeches in N.O.

Then they went on to split hairs over the terminology. Not really breaches. I suppose we could safely say, "more water than levees can accommodate."