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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
new models just in are now tighty clusted about 30 miles NE of houston bay....
another super cool loop-
http://orca.rsmas.miami.edu/wximages/jet/1_05/anis.html
Hey, I thought you invited me to your place if things get bad. They're gonna get bad.
I expressed the same sentiment last night, and was told to look out for incoming fire.
NO is already in need of rebuilding, is evacuated, and has much of its infrastructure in need of major repair (bridges, etc.)
A storm hit in NO seems like it would be more pragmatic than a storm hit in Houston/Galveston which at the time has no damage.
Add to that the fact that many of the evacuees from NO are in Texas trying to start their lives over and will find it even harder if a second storm hits Houston (btw, anybody know what happened with the cruise ships that were anchored in Houston for the hurricane victims.)
Not wishing bad on anybody, just being practical. Of course, where the storm hits is not up to a person anyway.
I have friends in Spring (about 40 min. from downtown Houston). Not that close to the coast. Do you happen to know if Spring is part of the evacuation area?
I hear you, and the majority of Louisiana is looking at the dirty side of the storm this time.
Not to mention a lot of cars with auto trannies won't even start without being in "Park".
Bad setting to move your gear selector to in a moving vehicle with an automatic transmission.
Quote
"Definitely be careful not to lock your steering.
But at 4 miles per hour, on a straight highway, the power steering isn't a problem. If you don't have the strength to put the brakes on without power, definitely don't do this. It isn't easy -- I should have said that.
If your emergency brake works, it is another way to control your speed without engine power. But I would only mess with this if I had another 50 miles to go and was down to my last gallon of gas.
I don't think you should have to do this, the roads should clear up.
I'll admit that I wouldn't do this myself, but I wouldn't have to, because both my cars are Priuses, and they shut down their engines when stopped -- another advantage of hybrids, which will get you 30 mpg in stop-and-go traffic, (so long as you don't run the AC full blast).
"
I doubt anyone on the road is reading this thread...heh
That's one of my favorite links. I always say it really puts the storm in perspective.
Are you staying at home kassie to ride it out?
Keep a segment of polyethylene tubing with a teflon check valve ( the former available at Home Depot et. al. and the latter available at many environmental service supply stores). With the check valve in the end (it should screw in tightly), you can pump any liquid with an up and down motion. With gasoline, once it's started, if you keep the can lower than the tank it will just gravity feed (raise it above the level of the tank to stop it).
If we could just get it another 15 miles further up the coast, it would be very bad but not an absolute catastrophe.
Amazing and thanks!
I have family in Houston, not too far from Tomball, ...I hope my niece has been as smart as your niece!
I have family in Spring. They are telling them to leave. They have so many trees in that area that I think that would be the biggest problem with blown down trees. They said they went through Allison and their house was flooded, so they did not want to take chances on this one...... Roads will be getting better, the problem is, 45 to Dallas is always busy....then you hit Dallas traffic and that is a nightmare on a good day.
I was just checking that one.
Did you click on the wave height history?
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/show_plot.php?station=42001&meas=wvht&uom=E
Spring is not a part of the evacuation area and should be okay. If Rita stays the course, she will have to worry about 70+ mph winds, tornadoes, lots of rain and not having power for 3-7 days.
So get OFF the highways... Last night I found that the gas stations on the highways had long lines and/or had run out of gas already, but the gas stations just a block or two from the freeway on the surface streets were doing just fine, had gas, and not even any lines.
Would not be surprised if it weakens to a 3 and makes landfall to the west of Lake Charles, LA. Just a guess...
If so, they won't move the track at 11 as people are saying, because that's already where it's at.
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