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)
That’s our nickname for it. It was a sad crime to hear about. Ole Greg was part of the Luv ya blue gang.
;<)
Nary a leaf is fluttering here.
Just checked outside.
No wind here. Just a mild breeze. ;-)
they toned it down today...it was in yesterday’s warning
Much of Galveston is now under water. Parts of the east end, accourding to Steve LeBlanc, are still okay. He said the bay is rising rapidly and many people are now cut off.
sw
It appears a gaggle of hurricane reporters will be camping out in the ballroom of the San Luis hotel on Galveston Island.
That’s our nickname for it. It was a sad crime to hear about. Ole Greg was part of the Houston Oilers Luv Ya Blue gang.
Ahhh,God bless them.I was in a woman’s house who had her son’s boots.(((Hugs)))
if the Press can stay there and survive, so can they
—
I think the Press must rank up there with cockroaches for durability. I would flee this storm with a passion.
News for you, bud. In Washington NC, gas went from $3.59 yesterday to $4.59 today. And there are no shortages here.
Oh, good. *whew* Yeah that sounds really terrible. Sorry to hear it.
I was shocked to hear that number. Given that the call for evacuation was given yesterday, along with the news about a substantial flood surge, I thought that more people would leave.
She says nothing on Galveston is built to survive a Category 4 or 5 hurricane.
Thank you.
The Galveston Mayor sounds like she’s half asleep, and she’s putting me to sleep too with that lazy gravelly voice.
If she meant to inspire a sense of urgency, she’s not doing an admirable job.
BurbankKarl wrote:
I got caught in urban flooding in Houston in the 90s.....some rivers overflowed and the water poured
down into the freeways....it was insane....the only reason I got out of there without destroying the rental
car was driving like Smokey and the Bandit sideways up on the berms.
*****************
Shurf Buford goan git you, boah...
Some people only pay attention to the wind speed or category. A potentially fatal mistake with this storm.
I heard a communication between a man on board and a rescue worker. Rescue asked the crew member if he could see a helicopter on deck, and he responded with a panicked-shakey-and scared voice saying something like "no, I don't see a helicopter..I don't see a helicopter".
Very sad.
sw
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