Hurricane Rita Update - (Down-graded to a Tropical Storm)

[Memnoch]

Geez I feel sorry for the Gulf Coast people. They don't deserve this!

Hurricane Rita's rapid intensification cycle that began Tuesday afternoon continues. Top winds are up to 165 mph, now a category 5 hurricane. Rita's pressure has dramatically dropped to 898 millibars! Even as a large and extremely intense category 5 hurricane, further strengthening is possible as the atmosphere remains favorable for development over the next 24 hours. Rita is forecast to continue on a westward track through the Gulf of Mexico over the next 24 hours. A gradual turn toward the northwest is anticipated Thursday night and Friday. If there is any good news at this point, it is the fact that it is very difficult for a hurricane to maintain category 5 status for an lengthy period of time. Near-perfect to perfect atmospheric conditions are necessary for a category 5 hurricane to exist and these "perfect" conditions are first - difficult to come by and second - do not remain in place for a long period of time. So although Rita is currently a category 5 hurricane, fluctuations in intensity is likely. That being said, it is almost a certainty that Rita will make landfall as a large, intense, major hurricane with impacts extending well away from the center. Hurricane force winds extend 70 miles away from the center and tropical storm force winds extend 175 miles from the center. Landfall is possible late Friday or early Saturday along the Texas coast. Residents and tourists in locations such as Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass, San Jose Island, Matagorda Island, Port Lavaca, Port O'Connor, Bay City, Lake Jackson, Freeport, Galveston, Texas City, Houston, and Port Author should ALL prepare for a very dangerous landfalling major hurricane.

[ 09-24-2005, 05:29 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Cloudbringer]

They're evacuating the Galvaston area already. Hopefully it drops in intensity before it hits, but it's a scary sight, isn't it?!

[SomeGuy]

Is this one going to be anything like the one that happened back in the early 1900s or whenever it was? I remember when I was on a mission trip in Galvaston. We took a trip to a museum that showed a documentary of the huge hurricane that happened back then. It was a real eye-opener.

[VulcanRider]

Interesting view:
RITA Enhanced Infrared Loop

Good luck to anybody in its path...

I feel so bad for the Gulf Coast right now. The only good thing, no matter how insignificant, that I see is that at least it didn't finish up the work that Katrina did in New Orleans. I think that would have been a heavy blow to any residents of the city, it would be completely wiped out.

But best of luck to anyone (IW or not) that is trying to/couldn't evacuate. I truly hope this is a category 3 or less by the time it hits land, but they are doubting that.

[Larry_OHF]

Louisiana gets first brush with Rita


Outer bands from Category 4 storm sweep over New Orleans...


http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/22/rita/index.html

[ 09-22-2005, 10:30 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Larry_OHF]

Newest reports. Rita is now down to a Cat. 3, meaning that the winds are up to 125 mph.

Two levees have disentegrated in New Orleans and parts of the city are flooding again that was finally dry just a few days ago.

This hurricane has already caused some deaths before it even hit anybody. a bus carrying elderly people burst into flames along the busily evacuating public of Houston and then their oxygen tanks blew up. I think they said 24 people died in that fire.

Many Houston evacuees are really pissed at the stupidity of thier mayor. He told them to get out and they got out...but along the roads, there was no gas for sale anymore. Many people were stranded in their cars, some with elderly, some with infants, and they had to set there all night, waiting on somebody to bring them gas. Many thought that the government would send help, but it was Texas citizens themselves that responded first, sharing their own extra fuel with those less fortunate. Finally, the last I hear as of tonight's news is that nobody will be spending a second night out on the road with no gas.

Another problem is that since we keep all our oil refineries out in the gulf, those have been evacuated so now gas prices will be raised again. In a related news story, American motor manufacturers claim that they'd make more hybrid vehicles if Japan would let us buy the parts, but they won't sell them to us, they claim.



[ 09-23-2005, 10:47 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Larry_OHF]

As you can see from Memnoch's initial post and Vulcanrider's link, Rita hit as a Cat. 3, but has since slowed to a Cat. 2. She is mostly inland now. I've not heard of any deaths yet, but some damage has been reported "in the pre-dawn hours along the region from Galveston, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana."

The largest oil refinery in the United States and about 200 other refineries and chemical facilities along the channel connecting Houston, Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico weathered Rita without major damage, according to an official who monitors the region.

It was feared that the storm would damage the nation's fuel infrastructure, forcing gasoline and other fuel prices higher.

In Lumberton, Texas, police had to rescue a family trapped in their home when a large tree fell on it. No injuries were reported.

Ninety percent of the city, where it was raining Friday night, was evacuated in anticipation of Rita, officials said earlier.

Houston escaped the major flooding that was feared earlier in the week, officials said.

source: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/24/rita/index.html

[ZFR]

Houston escaped unscathed.

[Larry_OHF]

And initial reports say that nobody has been killed in the storm itself...though the bus fire was a direct cause of the evacuation, so that should be accounted for.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/24/rita/index.html