Posted on 09/12/2008 5:12:09 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Large and dangerous Hurricane Ike approaching the Upper Texas coast. Mandatory evacuations began in earnest Thursday as an estimated one million coastal residents headed inland. There were widespread reports of gas stations running out of fuel.
The National Weather Service posted dire storm surge predictions of 20-25 ft storm surge along the coast and bay heads. Hurricane warnings covered a 400 mile swath of the Gulf of Mexico.
Wholesale gasoline prices spiked 30 percent Thursday, or nearly $1 a gallon, out of fear of what Ike might do.
Public Advisory Updated every 3 hours
Discussion Updated every 6 hours
Buoy data: Western Gulf of Mexico
Houston/Galveston Long Range Radar
Corpus Christi Long Range Radar
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Lake Charles Long Range Radar
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Additional Resources:
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KHOU Houston
ABC 13 News Houston
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Brazoria County Emergency Management
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Chambers Country Emergency Management
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| 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 Ike Live Thread II
Hurricane Ike Live Thread I
TS Hanna, Hurricane Ike & TS Josephine [Other than that, the tropics are calm]
Tropical Storms Hanna, Ike and Josephine, TD Gustav (Other than that, the tropics are calm)
Most places are out of gas.
40% of all Galvestonians remained behind for the storm...I guess the ones that survive will have interesting stories...others won’t.
It’s going to be a tricky forecast for surge. What passes for the eye is probably 60-70 miles across. I think the computer models for the surge work with a much smaller eye. Only one way to find out what will really happen from here. Hopefully the experts are wrong on the low side, or Ike takes a bit of a wobble in the next few hours and goes a bit more eastward.
Some 20,000 people from what they said.
I don’t blame her. I would have done the same. In fact I as going to suggest she do so before she did!
Geraldo says he’s not so sure about the “certain death” predictions...unsual for him to be DE-hyping...
What do the locals think about the San Luis? Is it good for the duration? He said it’s 30 plus feet above...
Are you sure about the Kemah Dairy Queen? I don’t live far from there and that is scary to me.
As I sit here looking at a map of the Houston area, it sure looks like the storm surge (combined with high tide) is gonna send a sh**load of water up Galveston Bay and into every bayou and creek.
The east side of Galveston Bay (to me) looks relatively unpopulated but the west side looks like it has a lot of industry and residences.
It looks like the same kind of thing could happen to Sabine Pass leading up to Beaumont/Port Arthur.
This isn’t looking good at all...
Wow — that’s one heck of an Opus, E!
;-)
Water will come around the backside of the island. It will get the worst of the surge according to hurricane center guy.
KPRC reporting via laptop camera....trying to head to the yacht fire.
http://www.click2houston.com/video/10903347/index.html
Hurricane center guy says: Rise of water 15-20 feet with waves on top. If people remember Miss coast after Katrina, homes damaged or removed completely, that’s what will occur on Galveston and inland. Yikes.
Where? There’s plenty of gas here in Central NY.
Has Anyone else heard this cause Mom is fretting something fierce over our friends safety and I would like to be able to calm her down a bit.
50 Feet is like a Tidal Wave. It just sounds too fantastic to be true.
I got family down on Braes Bayou... how about YIKES canoes?
Those people on the freighter make me think of the men on the boat in tge film Perfect Storm. I hope and pray they aren’t killed.
Why wouldn’t the officials tell the public about evaluations?
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