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

[onyx]

Oh geez, look at 1856 Howlin... might get some rain here, but I hope that's all.

[Howlin]

Use a CO detector, please.

[fishntex]

Not yet but only one mile an hour away from what Cantore was saying. This time tomorrow it could be a 4. <--I said that.

[IM2MAD]

Well now we (Cindy) has the big rally all weekend in DC this weekend, and guess what will occupy the news: Rita.

I thought the same thing. Pity!

[TeleStraightShooter]

Good question, 014mb in the last 9 hours.

Katrina grew a little slower over the same waters.
http://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/past_hurricanes/2005/katrina_track.asp

[Howlin]

I'm telling you, anybody who hasn't joined Amazon.com's Prime membership is making a HUGE mistake.

Free two day shipping and overnight for $3.99 and they have EVERYTHING.

[Lanza]

Yep, channel 2 just showed which areas would flood if it stays a 4 and on the same track. Johnson Space Center under water...that's right by my house.

[CindyDawg]

So, the nogaps is not a good model? I've been a little concerned about that one.

[onyx]

I am just stunned at the rate this one has increased. She was a tropical storm only hours ago.

[Howlin]

Which Gulf storm turned left at the last second toward just below Tampa? Was it last year?

[NautiNurse]

Charley

[buickmackane]

OK, I just heard another reference to the high pressure system on KALB. The meterologist (I think it's Tom Konvicka) is saying that the high pressure is what is responsible for the storm staying to the south of us. We got up to 104 degrees yesterday in the Alexandria/Pineville area, 103 today, and a high of 97 is predicted for tomorrow afternoon. Heat indices will reach 105 tomorrow. He is predicting Rita's landfall as a Category 4 in either Matagordo Bay or Freeport, Texas (I'm transcribing here, folks, so I might not be spelling these towns correctly), and that it will continue onto Oklahoma as a tropical depression. More talk of tornados for the Alexandria area...

[Michael Goldsberry]

!?

What's that? Advertisements on FR?

[Howlin]

I'll never forget the panic on that thread when you all realized it had "jogged."

[Nachoman]

What a week. Record-setting heat followed by a hurricane. I'm beginning to suspect God isn't a Texan.

[DrewsMum]

the only thing about generators is that you have to have gas and my family in mississippi had generators after katrina but no gas,,,,,,or at least they couldn't get it when they ran out,,,,,so the generators were useless then,,,

[Howlin]

Yes, it is. I tell everybody. It's the best deal I got all year!

[NautiNurse]

No panic here...I was jumping for joy.

[raygun]

I have Dopplar radar of Katrina with the eye just off of the delta, and nowhere can empirical evidence of winds in excess of 80 Kts be found (in fact sustaind winds prior to Katrina hitting probabaly weren't in excess of 70KTs - according to the dopplar shot I have). Moreover, there was no bouy data anywhere in the region of even wind gusts in excess of 80Kts. Unfortunately, once NO flooded the servers went down and the buoy data no longer is unavailable.

It doesn't matter if the winds aren't as high as reported, by recon aircraft at FL100, 91.2MPH (80Kts) surface winds is huge. Imagine what a roof of some building, tooling along at 91.2 MPH is going to do to that tower. Furthermore, there's 1.5" to 2" of rain flying horizontal at 91.2 MPH also, water has mass, and whatever its hitting its stressing out (in addition to the wind pressure), and stuff like boats flying through the air. Eventually, the building just gives up.

All the carnage that was seen on TV was on the shore, and about a mile inland (in MS & AL - the NE quad of the storm). But the eyewall (with supposedly the highest winds went over NO). What wind damage was apparent in NO? Their catastrophe happened when the levee broke.

Think of the wall of water that came into Biloxi: 2.54' high tide, 26' surge, 50' waves and 91.2MPH sustained winds (gusting to 130MPH - 115KTS). Understand that the storm surge is actually being sucked up by the eye of the hurricane, and the highest part is about 15 to 20 miles wide. The water comes in at about 1' depth per minute (w/50' waves on top, or at least what used to be 50' waves that are now breaking like some mondo surfer nightmare). Its a veritable tsunami.

[Michael Goldsberry]

... Okay...