Posted on 09/12/2008 5:12:09 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Large and dangerous Hurricane Ike approaching the Upper Texas coast. Mandatory evacuations began in earnest Thursday as an estimated one million coastal residents headed inland. There were widespread reports of gas stations running out of fuel.
The National Weather Service posted dire storm surge predictions of 20-25 ft storm surge along the coast and bay heads. Hurricane warnings covered a 400 mile swath of the Gulf of Mexico.
Wholesale gasoline prices spiked 30 percent Thursday, or nearly $1 a gallon, out of fear of what Ike might do.
Public Advisory Updated every 3 hours
Discussion Updated every 6 hours
Buoy data: Western Gulf of Mexico
Houston/Galveston Long Range Radar
Corpus Christi Long Range Radar
Brownsville Long Range Radar
Lake Charles Long Range Radar
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Additional Resources:
Navy Tropical Cyclone
Storm Pulse Very cool site
KHOU Houston
ABC 13 News Houston
FOX News Houston
KPLC Lake Charles
KFDM 6 Beaumont/Port Arthur
KKBMT 12 Beaumont
KRIS-TV Corpus Christi
KZTV Corpus Christi
Brazoria County Emergency Management
Galveston County Emergency Management
Chambers Country Emergency Management
Liberty County Emergency Management
| 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 Ike Live Thread II
Hurricane Ike Live Thread I
TS Hanna, Hurricane Ike & TS Josephine [Other than that, the tropics are calm]
Tropical Storms Hanna, Ike and Josephine, TD Gustav (Other than that, the tropics are calm)
It will be interesting to see. days ago they were giving everyone the impression it would weaken considerably prior to landfall.. then it intensified. Not that it’s a blame game. Is Ike abnormal in that, or is it just his size.
The numbers are conflicting. I’ve heard that anywhere from 15-50% of residents opted not to leave. I don’t know what the actual percentage is.
Not exactly an appropriate name.
We are about 3000 feet as the crow flies from beltway 8 in Pasadena. BW8 is the end of evacuation zone 3 for a Cat 5 with 30-35 feet surge. Nice barrier wall except for the underpasses.
Had to turn off the news... it hurts my brain.
The ‘poop deck’ is the top stern of a ship and has nothing to do with how it sounds in english. (That business was done from the bow, upwind.)
Thanks for posting that data and the graphics. It makes everything very clear.
Wasn’t Massie’s Mill basically wiped out?
My town, Roanoke, had pretty bad flooding.
A year later we were driving home from New Orleans and my dad decided to go through Biloxi. So we saw the empty slabs along the gulf.
agree here 100%
I’m glad she’s done for awhile. She sounds like a Sunday School teacher.
I was surprised to hear the tone of “well, tomorrow after the storm is gone in the morning, the city will drain like it always does.. it drains fast.” Yeah.. how many will have homes left, sister?
This seems like a disaster in another way. I don’t know were the ship is, but if it washed ashore in a populated area, it would make one heck of a battering ram.
ole roscoe was hot on my tail....
The CNN weatherman just said the surge was 8 feet, so only the waves are going over the top. They need to turn on Fox.
You nailed the guy perfectly. He looked like a snot nosed ivy leaguer type. He couldn’t wait to get his bit done and get out of there. He was wanting to go to the hotel and get some “snoozing done”, his exact words.
Ah, now the KHOU news anchors are saying it is indeed 40%. Apparently you can still evacuate in one of the city’s “high-water” vehicles, but the mayor says it’s too dangerous. If you haven’t left by now, you should get inside and stay there. The storm is now 115 miles from Galveston. The eye is projected to hit the east end of the island, and the Bolivar peninsula.
Yes, may God protect and save the crew on that freighter. They are definitely on my mind. Is the ship without power, that being the main problem, aside from being out in the hurricane?
Just heard a quote on FOX that the Mayor “Didn’t want to comment, didn’t want to scare anyone” regarding the Weather Service’s bulletin about those in 1 and 2 story buildings facing “certain death”.
Gee thanks Mayor. God forbid anyone get SCARED!
Dims!
/shaking head
I believe the NHC has consistently called for a strengthening or steady state storm as it landfalls. If it had been a cat 4 earlier I think there is a better chance it would have weakened coming in as those intensities are hard to sustain. At this point the size is a big factor.. it’s significantly more difficult to quickly ramp up or down with a large storm. Remember Charley strengthened very quickly but was quite small.
Very sad.
I'm hearing it right now. Poor guy is terrified. May God protect them.
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