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
Brownsville Long Range Radar
Lake Charles Long Range Radar
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Additional Resources:
Navy Tropical Cyclone
Storm Pulse Very cool site
KHOU Houston
ABC 13 News Houston
FOX News Houston
KPLC Lake Charles
KFDM 6 Beaumont/Port Arthur
KKBMT 12 Beaumont
KRIS-TV Corpus Christi
KZTV Corpus Christi
Brazoria County Emergency Management
Galveston County Emergency Management
Chambers Country Emergency Management
Liberty County Emergency Management
| 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)
Good luck Xena and stay safe. Look on the bright side. TRF might just have an "Under the sea surge" theme for the faire this year.
The mayor may be a prize idiot, but folks ought to exercise some common sense and not wait for some pol to tell ‘em what to do.
Fox says a freighter is stranded in the Gulf, as it has lost power! The Coast Guard cannot get out there, due to conditions. Therefore, the freighter must stay out there throughout the hurricane!
Low lying? LOL. Do they know that Houston is The Bayou City?
I used to have young engineering applicants fly in from the east coast and express disappointment when they arrived in Houston...they were expecting to see tumbleweeds blowing around.
Those waves hitting Galv. now .... means GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN!
I got your point...but I haven’t figured out which keys stick on his computer yet. LOL!
That animation is ugly! Oh my!
Lord God, make those folks get out of the way of this storm!
Exactly. Those of us that remain in the path, do so at our own risks. There is still time for them to leave the island, the roads are clear. The causeway to the north leading to Houston is high enough they shouldn’t have a problem getting out. If they are going east, by Crystal Beach and High Island, that would be dangerous.
Exactly what is Houston facing as far as storm surge?
How far above sea level is it?
This is an animation of a twenty foot surge for Galveston.
When NHC says “15ft surge” they mean “10% chance of 15ft surge”, I’m pretty sure. I would really like to see a real map of this area... still looking.
Dem Mayor of Galveston is going to have blood on her hands...not Gov. Perry, who told them to leave two days ago!
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/5996000.html
This storm has not been ‘eratic’ like her officials are claiming..It has always been on Galveston or west of it, which puts Galveston on the dirty side of storm.
Get ready folks....looks like democrat incompetence is going to make another show!!
Yes, I agree. The island itself will remain albeit with altered terrain. However all structures on it will be destroyed.
Unfortunately, we will be lombasted with pictures of devastation and bloated bodies right up to the election. As well as the spike in gas prices -all blamed on the Republicans.
Where did Galveston go? Will beer man find another large supply while walking his dog?
I don’t know the mayor of Galveston but in her defense the storm had been projected to hit much farther south on the Texas coast than Galveston. As soon as it appeared to move more toward Galveston she ordered a mandatory evacuation.
Houston is said to be one of the “greenest” cities in the country—in the color sense of the word. Trees everywhere.
Thanks, Star. I’m not up to it this morning..the libs and media have completely lost perspective and any semblance of honesty. They sicken me.
And won't put someone else in danger by calling for help when it hit's the fan?
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