Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VII

NHC - NOAA ^ | 23 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Rita landfall is anticipated within the next few hours. Strong winds and heavy rains are battering southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.

MSM news crews are shouting over the howling winds as they foolishly describe blowing rain, swaying trees, and crashing waves through rain splattered camera lenses. It's a hurricane. We know these things already.

An 18 wheeler rig reportedly overturned on an I-10 bridge. The fate of the truck driver is unknown at this time. Reports of widespread power outages in Lake Charles. KPLC-TV Lake Charles local news has remarkably improvised their reporting from a remote location. They are taking calls from residents, NWS, and public utility representatives, and alerting residents to local conditions.

On the flip side, CNN announced to the world that law enforcement officers had evacuated from Port Arthur TX with the rest of the population. Engraved looter invitations would have been more elegant.

Godspeed to all those in the path of this storm.

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
Jefferson Co TX NWS Weather
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:

Lake Charles Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Houston/Galveston Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Lake Charles Experimental Radar Outages and Delays May Occur

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)

KHOU-TV/DT Houston
KPRC-TV/DT Houston
KTRK-TV/DT Houston
KTRH-AM Houston
KPLC-TV/DT Lake Charles/Lafayette
KSLA-TV/DT Shreveport

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
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 VI
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part V
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

[Revel]

You wanna give em latest from fox?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Its only about a half tank of gas to get back in. Gas cans are sold out throughout the state now, so many of the early returners will have them. Remember the traffic inbound won't be nearly as bad as yesterday because except for at Columbus, TX, there aren't any choke points and the roads will widen as they get into the suburbs. In contrast outbound traffic had to go from in effect 3-14 lanes down to 2-4. Once they get in they can hunker down for a few days at their home, the main thing is to get back and repair and protect the homes. Most of the early returners will have stocks of emergency type foods at home and bringing in with them. The sooner they get back, the less the looting problem.

[Uncle Ike]

"Geraldo is back on FNC on the phone. Well, he was. Didn't hear if he was inside or outside"

Inside, I gather.. Reporting that "main" window blew out on Motel he's hunkered down in -- packing a few things to bug out, I think he said just before connection lost.

Sounded scared, if ya ask me.....

[steveegg]

Last vortex data message from me with an eye fix 25 minutes after landfall (even if there's another one before 4 am when I plan on collapsing, I'm not doing it) -

971 
URNT12 KNHC 240809
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 24/07:55:40Z
B. 29 deg 46 min N
  093 deg 48 min W
C. 700 mb 2588 m
D. NA  kt
E.     deg     nm
F. 324 deg 067 kt
G. 223 deg 010 nm
H. EXTRAP  941 mb
I. 13  C/ 3051 m
J.  19 C/ 3056 m
K.  14 C/ NA
L. OPEN SOUTH
M. C18
N. 12345/ 7
O. 0.02 / 1  nm
P. AF309 2518A RITA         OB 24
MAX FL WIND 111 KT E QUAD 07:20:30 Z
MAX FL TEMP 20 C, 223 / 10NM
SLP EXTRAP FROM 700 MB
CENTER 3 MILES INLAND, INTENSE EYEWALL CONVECTION ON RADAR

[gpapa]

Buoy Station SRST2 - Sabine, TX
Conditions at SRST2 as of
(3:00 am CDT)
0800 GMT on 09/24/2005
Wind Direction (WDIR): NNW ( 330 deg true )
Wind Speed (WSPD): 65 kts
Wind Gust (GST): 78 kts
Atmospheric Pressure (PRES): 28.09 in
Pressure Tendency (PTDY): -0.55 in ( Falling Rapidly )
Air Temperature (ATMP): 73.8 °F


Continuous Winds TIME
(CDT) WDIR WSPD
3:00 am NNW ( 327 deg ) 61 kts
2:50 am NNW ( 330 deg ) 61 kts
2:40 am NNW ( 336 deg ) 61 kts
2:30 am NNW ( 337 deg ) 63 kts
2:20 am NNW ( 341 deg ) 64 kts
2:10 am NNW ( 344 deg ) 68 kts

[Revel]

Gee you type fast.

[stlnative]

I am watching fox - major damage reports are coming in now

[laz]

Hello everyone! I HATE Adelphia Cable in Miami! I lost my broadband connection shortly after 11 PM last night, and it didn't come back until now. I was nearly going out of my mind without FR during the approach and landfall. Thank God I'm back on now.

Did Rita really come in with 120 mph winds, or was she intensifying as she came in?

[jeffers]

whole bunch-o-shear showing up over that way on Houston Nexrad...


http://www.intellicast.com/Local/USLocalWide.asp?loc=khgx&seg=LocalWeather&prodgrp=RadarImagery&product=RadialVelocity&prodnav=none

[GOPyouth]

I think I really learned to type fast during the Iraq war. I was one of the freepers with several webcams running througout Baghdad, and channel surfing like crazy to get news on here. :)

[ChefKeith]

Here Ya go;0)

Can't post the first pic or I'll get in trouble...

Bo just needs a decent meal of prime rib and pom frites.

[steveegg]

Mornin chief....you holding up ok?

Barely. Looks like we both missed landfall predictions. It was at 2:30 between Sabine Pass and Johnsons Bayou, Louisiana.

There's a vortex report with an eye fix at 2:25 someplace, and the fresh one is from 2:55 that has the eye 3 miles inland.

[justa-hairyape]

Given the experience with NOLA, isn't that just a tad premature??

That probably depends on the path of the storm over land. If it hooks right, canceling the evac for those areas would be correct. If the storm stalls for a day or 2 and then hooks left, it would be premature.

[jeffers]

Where is Capris Casino?

[ChefKeith]

No No he's a Robot!

[FreedomPoster]

New Orleans is going to have serious flooding when all the rain Rita is bringing ashore comes back down the MS River and hits the weakened levees.

[GOPyouth]

Lake Charles, but not sure where. I'm not too familiar with LC.

[steveegg]

I'm a robot that's going to shut down in about a half hour :-)

[glock rocks]

Bo's in the driver's seat as the designated typer. I'm second seat tonight. He's happy with sirloin tonight. It's a po folk thingy.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

The levees that are leaking aren't the MS levees, but the levees that keep lake water out of New Orleans. The river levees at New Orleans haven't been under particular stress.