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)
Okay.
BTW, dirtboy...I've noticed some people can't tell when others are truly trying to help them out. Idiots!
sw
p.s. I've done a lot of work pulling these threads together over the years to save time (and eyesight) in the long run.
rotfl
Bite me.
Is that what passes for civil discourse in Pennsylvania, land of hurricane experts? Stay classy, dirtboy.
Not sure if anyone has posted this site on any of the threads, it’s pretty intersting.
http://www.dallasnews.com/hurricane/
It gives visual predictions of where the wind fields will be. According to this Austin (for instance) will get winds of 74+. Just interesting for people who wonder about some of the inland areas.
susie
This storm is so large that all the people I know--from near Galveston to orth of Dallas who would except "refugees, were possible refugees themselves.
People are leaving everywhere for a "better" ride.
wow
overcast here, no big wind yet, yard is as picked up as I can make it, and supplies are all in central location, my house is small, so central is pretty easy for me.
I just cant imagine these people not leaving down there.
I’ma start an H-town Hurricane ping list for communication and gossip and such like. Iffen you want on it, let me know!
Neat map. If they’re right, even the south side of the DFW metroplex may well get 40+ mph winds for a while.
}:-)4
Please add me, Xena!
My best friend’s husband is in the reserves. They live in Carrolton. He was called up for Rita, and I wonder if he’s been called up yet. She’s at work right now, so I can’t reach her. Her mom lives in Port Arthur, so I imagine they’ve evacuated her.
I have an aunt in Beaumont. She went without electricity for weeks in Woodville after Rita.
Giddy up!
Well, I’ve just been given notice to pack up and get ready to head for eastern Texas coastal region Monday morning for 7-14 days to assist in massive power restoration efforts. Have been told to expect and pack for primitive conditions, no hotel rooms, etc. I volunteered, so this ought to be a real challenging adventure. Seriously, pray for safety for all the linemen and line crews that will be out there in terrible conditions trying to get electricity back on. They really are heros in times like these. - OB1
As I discussed in yesterday's blog entry, a good measure of the storm surge potential is Integrated Kinetic Energy (IKE). Ike continues to grow larger and has intensified slightly since yesterday, and the hurricane's Integrated Kinetic Energy has increased from 134 to 149 Terajoules. This is 30% higher than Katrina's total energy at landfall. All this extra energy has gone into piling up a vast storm surge that will probably be higher than anything in recorded history along the Texas coast. Storm surge heights of 20-25 feet are possible from Galveston northwards to the Louisiana border. The Texas storm surge record is held by Hurricane Carla of 1961. Carla was a Category 4 hurricane with 145 mph winds at landfall, and drove a 10 foot or higher storm surge to a 180-mile stretch of Texas coast. A maximum storm surge of 22 feet was recorded at Port Lavaca, Texas.
Much more at Wunderground
I saw that. lol
Done!
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