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Posted on 09/22/2005 3:25:57 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Extremely dangerous Category 5 Hurricane Rita continues to threaten the Greater Houston Metropolitan area. The forecast track has shifted slightly to the northeast, increasing the risk to Southwest Louisiana, and a significant portion of the oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas Governor Perry is urging all coastal residents between Beaumont and Corpus Christi to evacuate as soon as possible.
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 Western Gulf of Mexico
Houston/Galveston/Beaumont/Lake Charles Wx Watches/Warnings
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Louisiana
Hi Res Houston Flood Zone Map Slow load, great detail
Images:
Storm Floater IR Loop
GOM WV Loop
GOM IR Still Image
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop
Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)
KPRC-TV/DT Houston - KPRC-TV/DT Houston - http://mfile.akamai.com/12944/live/reflector:38616.asx
KHOU-TV/DT Houston: mms://beloint.wm.llnwd.net/beloint_khou
WWLTV NOLA
Additional Resources:
FReeper Sign In Thread Check in to let us know whether you are staying, going, and when you get there
FReepers Offering Lodging To Rita Evacuees People and/or Pet Friendly FReepers Offering Shelter
Coastal TX Evacuation Maps
Beaumont TX evac Routes
Lake Charles/Southwest LA Evacuation Map
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
KPLC Lake Charles Evac Routes, news
KFDM Beaumont/Port Arthur News, evac info
Hurricane City
Wxnation Houston
Galveston Webcams
Golden Triangle Weather Page Provides Galveston Weather, Warnings, Radar, etc.
| 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 Rita Live Thread, Part III
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18
They have some of the freeway interchanges closed for entry and exit to keep folks flowing one direction, the HOV lanes are open to all traffic and the tolls roads are free.
I don't know how practical it would be to switch lane directions near the city. There would be a massive amount of ramps to close and monitor and it would hamper emergency vehicles.
TV showed 5 am traffic on the bridge from Galveston to Texas City and it was still at a near standstill.
The weather people are not out there waving this magic wand, chanting "Go to Houston, Go to Houston."
The science of meterology gets into steering currents and wind paths that guide weather systems.
The short answer? There's a weather system that Rita will slide around. Exactly where she will fall will depend on how fast the surrounding systems move to guide her toward the coast.
- A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued as of 4 am CDT for Lousiana east of Morgan City to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
- The Hurricane Watch has been extended east to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. This now places the Gulf Coast between there west to Port Mansfield, Texas, and portions of that are will likely see hurricane warnings later today.
- Tropical Storm Watches remain in effect between Intracoastal City and Morgan City, as well as between Port Mansfield and Brownsville, Texas and extending south to Rio San Fernando.
Caveats: the ridge may or may not weaken, extend as far to the east as expected in the models, may weaken more or less, Rita is so big that damage-wise it might not matter much; and finally I barely know what I'm talking about. ;)
Yep. Houston in Tropical Storm Allison.
My daughter just called from the road. She, her husband, and baby left their home in Houston at 8:00 p.m., last night. Nine hours later, they had logged forty miles on the odometer. She is still on I-10, ultimately headed for Austin.
She reports lots of vehicles dead on the side of the road, presumably out of gas, no gas available at service stations, and some squabbles and fights at the stations that do have fuel. Gonna be a long day for anyone still contemplating getting out.
Apparently so.......:o(
Fox news reported hearing from a 'gridlocked evac'......said they had moved only 30 miles since last night @ 8:30 PM.
Adding to the trouble some cars now running out of gas, adding more gridlock.
Oops, meant to say "northeast" in that first sentence.
Nope. That Bush's job, utilizing the Haliburton Hurricane Navigator.
(Sorry - just this once, I just had to!)
I can hardly wait.
I went out last night trying to find gas and so many were out of two or more grades and the lines were long, long.
Oh my...
Wow. No wonder they're telling folks to bug.
I always thought it was Rove...[g]
I better get rolling if I have any chance of getting there.
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