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

[Howlin]

LOL!

[topher]

Another Tornado Warning (South of Lafayette):

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a Tornado Warning for Acadia Parish in southwest Louisiana and Vermilion Parish in southwest Louisiana until 11:00pm.

At 10:22pm, National Weather Service Doppler Radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 10 miles southeast of Estherwood, moving west at 45 mph.

The tornado is expected to be near Egan by 10:35pm.

This tornado is wrapped in rain.

This is SOUTHWEST OF LAFAYETTE.

[Rte66]

Well, they were on Winnie between 19th and 20th. AP is saying not "houses," but "buildings," one built in 1905, after The Storm. Mayor Lyda called them "Victorian homes." They're just south of The Strand, between there and UTMB, but in the Historic District.

A fallen electric pole was lying on top of one of the buildings and was burning. Fire is out now.

[Eaker]

My later post was before I saw this.

I'll try to be nice.

It has just gotten a little tough lately around here.

Here is a pic of Jim zotting me earlier.

[claudiustg]

Cheney.

[TheMom]

See post #431.

[VirginiaMom]

yeah, she's praising her evacuation of NO with Katrina....and also how great she's been helping to evacuate Texas......? this lady is delusional.

[No Truce With Kings]

"What do you have if you have 50 hurricane reporters at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico?

A bull shark buffet?"

Nah. Sharks don't eat reporters. Professional courtesy.

[not2worry]

Shepard Smith, IMHO, is the perfect description of girlie man. How does he keep that "George Hamilton" tan and if he wore any more makeup I believe I would mistake him for a Drag Queen in New Orleans.

Maybe I'm just in a grumpy mood tonight, but Shep, ED Hill and Geraldo are the Three Stooges on the Fox Network. At least the got rid of Rita Cosby and "her sources".

[Liberal Classic]

I've had a couple of brown-outs here, too. We still have power, but the night, she is young.

[LibertyRocks]

You're welcome. (o:

[newzjunkey]

Is there a local Texas stream that you would recommend? I'm looking for something like we monitored out of Lousiana for Katrina. TIA.

[Squantos]

I thought you were married to the big wind ?........:o)

You should be used to this .....

[glock rocks]

I am switching back and forth from Fox and TWC and I swear the guy on the TWC in Beaumont is broadcasting from the exact same place as Shep on Fox, and he is not being blown around and losing hats like Shep.

TWC couldn't afford one of the enormous fans that Shep has.

[Tuxedo]

What is that "lake" or bay on the southwest side of LA? Looks like significant surge is going to go right up in there.

[steveegg]

Ya beat both raygun and me with that.

[Rte66]

Channel 2. So, it's not true?

[Howlin]

You realize that you don't have to read threads you don't like. You can safely ignore our pitiful mewling by not clicking the link.

In the seven years I have been here, this is the biggest of all the FR mysteries to me; "clicking on by" is quite a concept, isn't it?

[Txsleuth]

My daughter's best friend lives in Nacogdoches...with those same tall pine trees all around her house and is worrying.

I told my daughter that I thought that Nacogdoches was far enough north that perhaps the wind wouldn't be strong enough to blow them into her house...

What do you think?

[sfimom]

A good start?