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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Additional Resources:
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Brazoria County 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)
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/index.shtml
Thanks for the clickable link.
I was thinking that this morning when I looked out the window ~ there is barely a breeze at my house.
Morning NN. Everbody get a good look at pics of Galveston this AM, it might be the last you see of some of it.Many beach houses and piers will be lost in this storm. Bolivar penensula will be almost certainly devastated.
I heard that kind of news two times yesterday on 590KLBJ in Austin—on their top of the hour local reports. What gives?
I don’t know about anywhere else, but the local Citgo prices increased 50 cents this morning. (Southwest Virginia)
I’m starting to worry about friends and family in Memphis!
Are you watching the local news?
Looks like Galveston area is gonna be underwater before to long.
Thank you so much for your dedication to this ping list - I’m out of town and it helps to keep an eye what my husband and sons have to look out for... (tho it looks as though San Antonio may not see a drop.. )
NPR was reporting yesterday that wholesale gasoline for Gulf Coast delivery was up $1.00 (as of 8:30 a.m.; I pulled in to fill up) to $4.25
Yes, this is going to be a storm of historic proportions.
I am sure the spike in gasoline prices would be higher if it were not for the crude oil supplied by Florida off shore rigs.
I believe that the Today show has no idea what they’re talking about when they say the sea wall is 7’ at Galveston, and that you’re right when you say 17’...
I’ve no direct knowledge - that is why I put my post the last thread in terms of ASL - Above Sea Level.
Nevertheless, NHC is saying 20’ surge (that means, I am pretty sure, 10% chance of that - probably about 50% chance of 15’surge or so) ... add to that the massive waves and high tide and a track that now is so stable that I believe it has to be respected ...
It adds up to there is going to be a whole lot around Galveston Bay today that won’t be there on Sunday... not because of wind, but because it will have floated away.
From that site, this is an interesting graph, windspeed over time:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/show_plot.php?station=42361&meas=wspd&uom=E&time_diff=5&time_label=CDT
Wholesale gasoline for Gulf Coast delivery, as opposed to the NY or Chicago commodities market.
The rise in price may partly be due to Chavez booting our ambassador out.
“Heraldo ... Do they really want to get rid of him that badly?”
Don’t worry about him... he’s a good swimmer.
Amazing footage of the seawall. I never expected to see water on the blvd there.
The West End is now flooded.
The wholesale price being charged gas stations IN THE AREA of the storm may well have spiked that way due to shortages. You’re correct about the COMMODITY market price not spiking yesterday. These are not the same thing.
This is going to be a terribly long day. Very relieved you evacuated when you did. Hang in there.
Here in Tomball TX, we’re about 70 miles from Galveston, and pretty much directly in Ike’s path, as of the 4am update. We’re not too worried about the storm itself. We may get Cat1 gusts, and heavy rain. But since the storm will be moving quickly through the area, we should avoid serious flooding from rain (I hope). My major concern at this point is power. We’ll almost certainly lose power tonight, and the talking heads are telling us to prepare for the possibility of power outages lasting a much as 2 weeks. How does one prepare for 2-weeks with no power? Leave?
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