Hurricane Rita Live Thread

NHC - NOAA ^ | 20 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Rita is in the Florida Straits, impacting the Florida Keys and South Florida Peninsula. Hurricane watches and warnings are in effect for numerous portions of South Florida. Check local weather statements for updates.

The following links are self-updating:

Public Advisory Currently published every 3 hours 5A, 8A, 11A, 2P, etc. ET
NHC Discussion Published every six hours 6A, 11A, 6P, 11P
Three Day Forecast Track
Five Day Forecast Track

Rita Forecast Track Archive
Forecast Models
Buoy Data SE Florida
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Florida

Images:

Storm Floater IR Loop
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop
Florida Radar/Sat Loop Caution: Broadband users only
Extra Large Miami Radar Broadband only
Extra Large Key West Radar Broadband only
Miami Long Range Radar Loop
Key West Long Range Radar Loop
Miami Experimental Radar Still Image
Key West Experimental Radar Still Image

Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)

WTVJ-TV/DT Miami (NBC6)
WFOR-TV/DT Miami (CBS 4)
WSVN-TV/DT Miami (Fox)

Other Resources:

Florida East Coast Surf Reports Lots of great info here, including surf cams
Central Florida Hurricane Center
Hurricane City

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:
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18

[dandelion]

I'm out here in Limestone County; not too near the coast, but Rita appears to be making a inland beeline for mah dubblewide - oops, I mean my luxury modular home...

[stlnative]

Hi howlin... Are you in Houston? - Do you plan to evac?

[Dad yer funny]

Hey!!,... what'dya doin' up??

[oceanperch]

Boiling tiger prawns or the southern equivalent.

[hobson]

That simulation is here: http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/05/hurricane/index.html

Click on "Storm Surge" and then click "next" about 5 times.

[Gabz]

Beer in hair is alcohol abuse :)

I rarely drink any alcohol other than beer, and do use it often when cooking. I actually had to send hubby to a liquor store a month or so ago to get vodka so I could make a particular recipe - I told him to buy a half-pint, he bought a fifth...unless Ifind more recipes calling for vodka as an ingredient, or we have company that drinks it, I expect that bottle will still be sitting under the bar 2 years from now.

[Howlin]

Nope, I'm in North Carolina.......want company? :-)

[oceanperch]

Thanks.

[Turtleman]

I was going to try to ride this out at a friends house in Deer Park, but this one could be bad and parts of Deer Park floods, so I am going to Dallas to stay with family. Just about all of the old part of La Porte would be flooded.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Termite...I talked to Nana today. Yeppers, other than some rain that she's hoping they get...they'll be fine.

[Gabz]

You don't suppose she'll burn herself out, do you?

Wouldn't that be wonderful?

alas, I don't think it will happen this time. Pray I'm wrong.

[laz]

That's happened about 8 hours ahead of when the last forecast said it would. IOW, she's strengthening faster than they thought just a few hours ago.

Her growth has been astonishing. All through last night, her winds held at 70 mph. It was as if she was resisting becoming a hurricane. Then this morning, it was as if somebody flipped a switch. Thank God for me and folks in Southern Florida that she held back as long as she did, though. It's been bad enough in the lower Keys as it is.

Are our friends in Germany preparing to gloat that this one should also be a lesson to us?

[Tex_GOP_Cruz]

Sounds like a plan. Good luck to you! Anyone in the Houston area should check out evacuation zones:
http://www.click2weather.com/hurricanes/4589609/detail.html

You and I seem are out of the suggested zones, even for Cat 4-5, but after Katrina, it's a good idea to keep an eye on the latest info.

[oceanperch]

Let hope you are horrible at hurricane predictions.

[txhurl]

As soon as troops, assistance, Red Cross, FEMA et al began trudging into NOLA I had a premonition - almost a vision - that'd she'd be hit again very soon.

OTOH, better to hit what's already broken.. like the 'rinse' phase.... than to tear up something new.

[El Gato]

Is the Lil Texas Termite safe where ever he lives in Texas?

Since I don't know exactly where he lives, I can't say. I thought it was the Houston area. Ask him, or more properly his Nana, but she can be reached at his FReep mail.

If his area is in any hazard, expect Eaker, Humblegunner, Flyer, et. al. to get his folks and his Nana out of there.

If they can't then expect TC to come flying back from his sick bed in California, in a rented dualy, to pull them out. :)

I'm even a little concerned for Miss Victoria (my granddaughter, although oceanperch knows that) who lives in Austin. The 11 PM EDT forecast showed Rita still a tropical storm as it will pass near or over Austin. Now it's stronger than it was then. More concerned for her Aunt B and Uncle M though, the live in a sort of low area and in a not so sturdy looking duplex.

[Howlin]

Yikes!

See 2225.

[RGVTx]

I make smoked drunk chicken using beer. It's excellent.

You make me nervous with your prediction of Rita hitting further south than expected. We are watching closely with wood ready to put back on the windows. We just took most of the wood off the windows last week from Emily. It's like we issued an invitation to Rita when we took them off. I hope she turns us down!

[oceanperch]

I thought people kept Vodka in the freezer?

[Gabz]

BBQ sauce, chili, stew, stroganoff, etc., etc. - I put it in practically everything - especially when I'm out of wine :)