Posted on 09/24/2005 9:58:36 AM PDT by Howlin
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:
Hurricane Rita Freeper CHECK IN THREAD
FReeper Sign In Thread (LOCKED) 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 VII
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
Quit a few of us are getting an uplanned vacation, including the school kids. ;-)
I see you were referring to MAWG's tin-foil-hat-wearing posts 1613 and 1693. The only "Clear Lake" I can find is NE of Dallas. Is there one closer to the coast?
Great picture in post 1692! Looks like they also have a B&W dog in that pet carrier. At least he got treated better than a lot of pets did during Katrina.
I lived there for 15 years, it's right across the freeway from where I am now ... it's also right on Galveston Bay .... he's an idiot.
Okay. Signing off now. Rita just reached Northeast AL and we are in a tornado warning. CUL.
Sorry for the confusion. It wasn't meant for you. I pinged you because his "facts" were way off base and I had posted the correct forcast facts - along with the links to the NHC page they were pulled from - judging from the response I don't think I made a dent ...
Hope you're OK through your Tornado Warning. I went through the same thing here on Friday night and it was scary. My daughter always sleeps like a log through these things and then the next day she looks at me like I'm crazy and overreacting. Glad I had people on FR to welcome me back online after it passed!
True :)
MSM is *so* way behind the curve, it's frightening. Even Drudge is behind. Maybe now Matt will change that headline claiming Rita caused no devastation.
Did everybody else get kilt in the cane ?.....:o)
That's good.....whats the local conditions for real Eaker ....do ya have utilities, is there a limit on looters etc etc ....???
No, he just has more guns than me and I felt it best to let the position transition peacefully.
The situation is as if nothing happened.
Very little did for us. We lost power for two minutes. Humblegunner still doesn't have power, but he lives in Shelia Jackson Lee's district so go figure!
We dug him out, fed him and kicked him to the curb.
There ain't a looter to be found.
We have been looking too!
LOL.... did ya revier those new 700 laws that took effect Sept 1st in Texas ?
One is helpful as to CHL requests......hope it helps !
Ya gotta like a bloodless coup.
Wow...blacked out in SJL's district.....who'd a thunk it .....:o)
Oh look, a chicken!
Huh? The media was giving reports from Lake Charles all during the storm and afterwards. They've been showing pictures of the affected areas as soon as they get in video. You do realize that the areas hardest hit are also the toughest areas to get in and get video out of.
Some of the harping is rather illogical.
YES! onyx made it to the auction and won the bid for the Queen's Lace at a rock bottom price! The auctioneer swung that gavel down for me really fast...lol. onyx is thrilled today. :)
Just remembered something I forgot to post yesterday. Here's a product you'll definitely want to add to your next set of hurricane survival supplies.
Wolfgang Puck Lattes now come in these individual self-heating cans. They were selling at Kroger for $1.99 so I decided to try them. The cans have two openings, one on the bottom and one on the top. You turn the can on its bottom, and after you open the pull-tab, there's a button you push which starts some sort of chemical reaction that makes the can heat up to 140 degrees in 6-8 minutes. You then turn the can right-side up and open the other pop-top to drink the beverage. It seems about as good as any other fancy coffee drink you pay $4.00 for at Starbucks or wherever, and you certainly can't beat the portability factor!
My little girl immediately asked me why they don't do the same thing with Campbell's Soup-at-Hand. I wonder, too. It was nice to enjoy a hot cup of coffee during the power outage!
I don't know about the size of this image, so I'll just post a link to it. Next time you're at Kroger, check it out, because from what I read online, the product isn't widely available yet.
http://www.bevnet.com/images/reviews/wolfgang_heated/wolfgang-mocha.jpg
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