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

[metmom]

Water has different densities at different temperatures and stratifies as a result. When the water temperature is uniform the whole way down to the bottom the water is no longer stratified. When the wind blows across the top of the lake it causes it to circulate.
The following site shows lake turnover...
/www.conservation.state.mo.us/fish/ponds/laketurn/

[Jedidah]

I think it smells like rancid cooking oil. Very strange.

[RDTF]

I wonder if that is that $300 million one that Rick Leventhal from Fox was showing earlier tonight. Brand new casino.

[A Citizen Reporter]

It's never too late to be added to the list.

[hole_n_one]

MSNBC should lose their FCC license for showing video of Cosby in wet clothes from behind.........

[Eaker]

These people all seem to clean "loaded" weapons.

*snort*

[ajolympian2004]

Shep Smith does an excellent job reporting for Fox News and has been doing so since he joined the network.

[Revel]

ROTHFLOL!!!!


"Two real nut cases on Art Bell show tonight."

The 2nd Guest:


"Scott Stevens Quits
Idaho weatherman Scott Stevens made his final forecast on Thursday night, leaving a nine-year stint at KPVI News Channel 6 to pursue his weather research full-time. Stevens believes there is evidence that suggests the world's weather is being manipulated and, in a recent FOX News story, alleged the Japanese mafia caused Hurricane Katrina as revenge for the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Tonight Stevens will talk more about why he left TV weather reporting and what he'll be doing next.

Credit: Idaho State Journal "

[umbagi]

Thanks ;-). I feel much better for it, and the cat's quit looking at me that way...

[steveegg]

At least you never had alewives. Now that's a smell I'll never forget.

[Txsleuth]

What is your problem?

I haven't "concentrated" on anything...

I posted something I heard on the news that is relevent to this hurricane thread...because it happened because of the hurricane...

Other posters....got upset, thinking this was going to turn into yet another border control thread...which I most certainly would NOT want...I hate them..

It was other posters that commented then on what they think about the situation...which is fair...that is what we do here..

But, your post seems to indicate that YOU make the rules for FR..and I am not following those rules, is that correct?

Please tell me if you are the rule-maker...

[oldbill]

The Longest Day

[Howlin]

I cannot ever remember seeing grown people lie with such wild abandon for such an extended period of time; it's not as if we can't CHECK her facts.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Years ago I took pictures on the old Rose Plantation in Jamica and one in the very center of the roll clearly has pictures of two ghostly people. They were standing in front of what was left of old slave quarters.

[Dolphy]

Did anyone get on your list? Pataki made mine when he responded to Landrieu's call for a Cabinet level coordinator...he said what they needed was state and local leadership, not some bureaucrat in Washington.

[geopyg]

"It might have been garlic."

I've lived in Minneapolis, NJ, Colorado and Seattle. For whatever reason - LOTS of people out here in Seattle stink of garlic (no matter what their ethnicity).

[Ichneumon]

There. Anyone not offended?

Me -- I can't be offended since I agree with you.

[Carolinamom]

Now we know why Rita is always shown from the waist up when she is in the studio!

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I would argue that she has been ignoring God's messages.

[mtbopfuyn]

Ah ha, so with that statement she's asked for money she's also admitting she knew the levees were not safe.