Posted on 09/12/2008 11:29:13 PM PDT by NautiNurse
The eyewall of Hurricane Ike crossed Galveston Island in the early hours of Saturday morning. Reports indicate as many as 20,000 residents of Galveston Island chose not to evacuate as storm surge engulfed the island. The Freeport Chief of Police reported as many as 2000 residents did not evacuate as flood waters swamped coastal communities. There are widespread reports of power outages and coastal flooding throughout the Texas/Louisiana region. The U.S. Coast Guard received hundreds of calls Friday afternoon to rescue people stranded by flood waters along the barrier islands and Galveston Bay communities.
Multiple fires broke out in the Greater Houston area fueled by strong winds. Fire fighting efforts were hampered by flood waters. Brennan's Restaurant, a landmark in Houston, burned to the ground. A 584-foot freighter crippled in the Gulf of Mexico and its crew of 22 survived the storm after The U.S. Coast Guard was forced to abort rescue efforts Friday afternoon due to foul weather
Gulf Coast wholesale gasoline prices jumped to nearly $5 a gallon over fears that water and wind damage could keep the facilities closed for days or longer. Oil companies had shut down 97.5 percent of production in the Gulf of Mexico by Friday morning and were battening down refineries and petrochemical plants in an area that accounts for one-fifth of U.S. refining capacity.
Exxon Mobil reported evacuating workers from its Gulf Coast offshore platforms and onshore facilities in the anticipated path of Ike, shutting down daily production of about 36,000 barrels of oil and 270 million cubic feet of gas..
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 |
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Previous Threads:
Hurricane Ike Live Thread III
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)
Stupid question, but I am in earthquake and volcano country. What does this mean?
Rising water in Texas City.
Stay safe FRiend
Another update:
Storm IKE1: Observed by AF #301
Storm #09 In Atlantic Ocean
Total Flights For Storm #09: 35
Date/Time of Recon Report: September 13, 2008 06:31:50 Zulu
Position Of The Center: 29 ° 11 ‘ N 094 ° 44 ‘ W (29.18° N 94.73° W )
Minimum Height Measured At Standard Level Of 700 Millibars: 2703 Meters (Normal: 3011 Meters)
Maximum Surface Winds Were Estimated At: 87 Knots (100.05 MPH)
Estimated Surface Winds Were Measured At: 28 Nautical Miles (32.2 miles) From Center At Bearing 062°
Maximum Flight Level Winds Near Center Were 108 Knots (124.2 MPH) From 150°
Maximum Flight Level Winds Were Measured 048 Nautical Miles (55.2 Miles) From Center At Bearing 060°
Minimum Pressure: 953 Millibars (28.141 Inches)
Maxium Flight Level Temperature / Pressure Altitude Outside The Eye: 11°C (51.8°F) / 3048 Meters
Maximum Flight Level Temperature / Pressure Altitude Inside The Eye: 16°C (60.8°F) / 3048 Meters
Dewpoint Temperature / Sea Surface Temperature Inside The Eye: 14°C (57.2°F) / NA°C (NA°F)
Eye Wall Was Characterized As Being: CLOSED
Eye Form Was Characterized As Being: C40
Center Fix Established Using: Penetration Radar Wind Pressure Temperature
Center Fix Established At Level(s): 700 Millibars
Navigational Accuracy Measured At: 0.02 Nautical Miles
Meteorological Accuracy Measured At: 1 Nautical Miles
Other Information:
1: Maximum Flight Level Winds Were 109 KT NE Quadrant at 06:15:30 Z
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAREPNT2.shtml?text
Its nothing like Katrina. Get a grip
Its Cat 1 and losing steam
Looking at the animated radar, it appears Ike is tracking north, now. We’re getting pounded in League City, now.
What’s different about this storm is the size. Louisiana has bad flooding and as far as Texas goes it seems the floor of the Gulf is shallower in this area and very prone to flood surge. Let’s stay focused on the folks here.
Glad it will be rain only for ya. The Galveston area is getting its broncos busted, though.
Thanks for your local update. Do you still have electricity?
I have had KHOU (stream) on all day that I have been here.
I was out for 6 hours & kept it on & was thrilled it was still on (NOT the norm with streams for me)
It has been good coverage. Keep a stream window open & going on corner of monitor & can do other things meanwhile. of course the pix is pretty small.
As I dont have cable this has really been nice.
I’ve been surprised at the impact of the surge with Ike. Lots of levees broke in Louisiana.. in the places that were hit hard by Gustav. That’s sad.
From last vortex report: Maximum Surface Winds Were Estimated At: 87 Knots (100.05 MPH) -- That would be a solid Cat 2 hurricane, this report is mere moments old. Please do not make declarative statements without actually having information.
I said it was like Katrina in that it is slow moving, and has a larger than normal storm surge.
You get a grip.
Right here on the nw side of Houston. Some rain and wind; but not bad yet on this side of town. Has not hit coast yet. Due to within the hour. Galveston is being battered though.
Yes, but it’s been flickering more so recently.
What did you hear about rising water in Texas City?
What and where did you hear it?
Thanks.
We are worried about the storm surge in Galveston.
I spoke to a Friend there this afternoon. The houses are on pilings.
There could be some water damage just because this thing is gonna linger. Ike is crawling through
Ooooh someone ‘fixing his problem’ during a hurricane with arson? Yikes. No wonder he went to jail. (What would legitimately cause a fire there tonight?)
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