Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part V

NHC - NOAA ^ | 22 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Extremely dangerous Category Four Hurricane Rita continues to move toward landfall along the northwest Gulf of Mexico shoreline. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations continue across Texas and Louisiana coastal areas. Lake Charles LA is providing evacuations by bus for residents who have no transportation.

Traffic gridlock in the greater Houston area was compounded by gasoline stations without fuel, long lines at those stations still carrying fuel, and record breaking temperatures on the first day of autumn.

Offshore drilling platforms and rigs, as well as oil refineries, petrochemical and natural gas plants are in the path of the storm. Wave heights recorded by buoy have exceeded 38 feet. The refineries threatened by Hurricane Rita are on higher ground than those affected by flooding from Katrina. As a result, speculation abounds regarding future prices for winter heating fuel and gasoline.

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
KPLC-TV Lake Charles KPLC Streaming
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 IV
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part III
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18

[Ichneumon]

I have never understood the fascination with bottle water. All us old Boy Scouts know to fill up 5 gallon jugs with good ole chlorinated water.

Bottled water stays fresher longer. But yes, "bottling" your own water ahead of time is the next best thing, and a heck of a lot better than going without.

It's also important to fill your bathtub with water, to use as a source of water for uses that don't involve drinking, like rinsing off dishes, and flushing the toilet (dumping a gallon or so of water into the toilet will activate the "flush" sequence even if there's no water pressure in the pipes.

[freeperfromnj]

Yes. Accuweather has been pretty consistent with that track

TOP NEWS STORY - AccuWeather.com Meteorologists are predicting dangerous hurricane Rita to make a devastating landfall between Galveston and Port Arthur early Saturday morning. Rita will move into eastern Texas and stall causing massive flooding Sunday into Monday. Despite the dry spell across eastern Texas, the 10-30 inches of rain predicted by AccuWeather.com Meteorologists over a two-day period will cause rapid rises in streams and rivers to the point of flash flooding.

http://home.accuweather.com/index.asp?partner=accuweather

[Republic]

Oh yes...it is way to much money for the democrats to ignore....because they live their lives professing to care but through their actions demonstrate a greed and a callousness towards the poor that is horrific (the bigotry of low expectations is the DNC mantra, keeps the voting block intact, don't cha know?)

I certainly hope our President keeps to his course and has EVERY PENNY of our TAX DOLLARS monitored by a group he assigns to do just that.

No matter HOW MUCH landrieu and blanco weep and wail.

[Sally'sConcerns]

Why couldn't some of the schools that were used for civil defense when I was growing up in Houston have been used as shelters?

[Revel]

There was word about the NO maybe flooding again last night:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1489655/posts?page=1363#1363

[Lanza]

I have tons of friends we could have stayed with in Houston proper, but they all left!

[bwteim]

Here's a link from Tropical Storm Risk (TSR)

http://tsr.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/tracker/dynamic/images/200518N_0F.png


It's a whopping 60kb ;)

[Diddle E. Squat]

For those still in the storm surge, YOU STILL CAN GET OUT OF THE DANGER ZONE.

The current traffic cams show almost no traffic, all moving at the speed limit, on I-45 at Tamina, which is just a couple of miles south of the huge choke point on I-45, where it goes down from 4 lanes northbound to 2. So while you might still encounter slow traffic, you can still stay ahead of the storm, and it is nothing like yesterday, where at midnight 8 lanes were stop and go there and for miles south of that location.

[Liberty Tree Surgeon]

I'm just north in the Woodlands, and am hunkering down. Water is stored, bacon & eggs sandwiches are cooked (they keep well with ice, and calories count more than chloresterol), and my neighbor and I are prepared for cul de sac defense. My read is what we worry about is the wind, since this area is pretty well drained.

[Wneighbor]

Gotta drag myself off this thread try to get some work done.

Work? You mean everyone in Colorado's not taking off to watch the hurricane coming in? LOL

You take care too. Enjoy your Colorado autumn day. :-)

[Cboldt]

National Guard guy, live on FoxNews about 10 minutes ago, said the flow is an overtopping. That meaning that the water will stop flowing once the canal level reaches the level level. That is, unless the levee fails further.

[Wneighbor]

Just sign it from "The State of Texas". :)

Done!

[bonfire]

My cousin is staying in the Woodlands also. Good luck!

[bwteim]

Here's the main link to Tropical Storm Risk (TSR)

http://tsr.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/tracker/dynamic/main.html

[BlueAngel]

I am so sorry for what you went throught!! Thank God that you are safely back and good luck tomorrow.

[conservative in nyc]

Traffic on Houston-area freeways is pretty much nonexistent.

There's a map here, and traffic cameras here. I can't say how traffic is outside the metro, though.

[Wneighbor]

or the new baby has decided to come!

You know these low pressure systems bring babies. Dunno why but I apprenticed with a midwife for a while and you can watch those correlations happen.

[metmom]

Don't look now, but Phillipe seems to have changed direction on us...


Just checked wunderground and I couldn't belive it! It took a very sharp left hand turn, now heading almost due west. Three out of five computer models have it heading SOUTHWEST. Those are in very close agreement. Good grief!!!!

[RDTF]

Phillipe

[processing please hold]

You take care.
Our home is as dark as night. Our windows are boarded up tight. It's very creepy, and disconcerting.