Hurricane Rita ( Bad News For Gulf )

Tornado Warning NOAA

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1018 PM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
ALLEN PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 1045 PM CDT

11 PM EST DISCUSSION NOAA

11 PM EDT FRI SEP 23 2005

DATA FROM A NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT THROUGH ABOUT 00Z
INDICATED THE CENTRAL PRESSURE WAS HOVERING NEAR 930 MB THROUGHOUT
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MAXIMUM 700 MB FLIGHT LEVEL WINDS HAD
STILL BEEN 120-125 KT. WSR-88D RADAR IMAGERY FROM SLIDELL
LOUISIANA...LAKE CHARLES LOUISIANA...AND HOUSTON TEXAS STILL DEPICT
A WELL-DEFINED EYE THAT IS JUST A FEW HOURS FROM REACHING THE
COASTLINE NEAR THE TEXAS/LOUISIANA BORDER. THE EYEWALL REMAINS
INTACT AND INTENSE... ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHERN SEMICIRCLE... WITH
A RADIUS OF MAXIMUM WINDS OF ABOUT 20 N MI... SURROUNDED BY DENSE
AND WELL-DEVELOPED SPIRAL BANDING. VELOCITIES FROM THE RADARS
SUGGEST THAT THE SURFACE WINDS HAVE NOT FALLEN OFF MUCH AND SUPPORT
THE ADVISORY INTENSITY OF 105 KT. RITA REMAINS A FORMIDABLE MAJOR
HURRICANE... AND LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED DURING THE
LAST FEW HOURS IT HAS OVER WATER... SO RITA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE
LANDFALL AT CATEGORY THREE INTENSITY. AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE
HUNTER AIRCRAFT WILL BE BACK IN THE SYSTEM SHORTLY.

Rita real close.


The eye still showing.

Tornado warning 2 NOAA

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
JENNINGS BY 1045 PM CDT
ROANOKE BY 1050 PM CDT
WELSH BY 1055 PM CDT
WOODLAWN...LACASSINE AND FENTON BY 1100 PM CDT

THIS TORNADO IS WRAPPED IN RAIN - IF YOU WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE OR HEAR
IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE! TAKE COVER NOW!

TORNADOES AT NIGHT ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU
SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO - IT MAY BE TOO LATE. TAKE COVER NOW!

A TORNADO MAY FORM AT ANY TIME - TAKE COVER NOW. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES
AND VEHICLES FOR MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. AVOID WINDOWS.

Everyone kind of left running the show on your own, must be a weekend night

Looks like landfall soon:
www.ssd.noaa.gov...

Looks like the landfall target is Cameron, LA.



[edit on 23-9-2005 by Regenmacher]

UPDATE 12AM ACCU WEATHER

Hurricane force winds spreading into the western Louisiana coast


As of 11:00 P.M. CDT Friday, Rita was centered near 29.1 north and 93.4 west, or 50 miles south-southeast of Sabine Pass near the Louisiana/Texas border. The minimum central pressure was 931 millibars (27.49 inches of mercury). Rita is moving to the northwest at 12 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 85 miles, and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles from the center of circulation. The storm has ended its current weakening trend, and will likely make landfall as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane overnight. Tropical storm-force winds in rain squalls continue to spread inland across southern Louisiana along the northern side of Rita, and wind gusts to near hurricane force are arriving just off the coast of southwest and south-central Louisiana. Lake Charles reported a wind gust of 74 mph at 9:00 PM CDT

Regenmacher, I was beginning to wander myself. It will not be long now. Daylight will show what we can not see now I guess.

Tornado Watch 811
EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING FROM 1035 PM UNTIL 600 AM CDT.
www.spc.noaa.gov...

Man, Regenmacher
can you imagine what it would be like to be there now. Anyone who is I really feel sorry for them. Just hope some way they all miss this.

Originally posted by Harry55
Man, Regenmacher
can you imagine what it would be like to be there now. Anyone who is I really feel sorry for them. Just hope some way they all miss this.

Yeah Harry, I wouldn't want to ride that out with the howling, the projectiles, and then the storm surge.

I'm thinking there still might be some stranded on the roads too.

factoid: The heat energy released by a hurricane equals 50 to 200 trillion watts—or about the same amount of energy released by exploding a 10-megaton nuclear bomb every 20 minutes.

Maybe I should change my nick to the Re-editmacher, yow time for some java.

[edit on 23-9-2005 by Regenmacher]

Looks like she's having an intense burst of convection right before landfall.

Here's a good doppler loop to track with:
weather.cod.edu

NWS Lake Charles Office Web Log updates

11:40 PM - The observing unit at Sea Rim State Park now reporting sustained winds of 61 knots/70 mph...gusts to 72 knots/83 mph.

www.srh.noaa.gov...


[edit on 24-9-2005 by Regenmacher]

Here's the latest Hurricane Hunter report, it might be the last one before the eye starts to make landfall:

415
URNT12 KNHC 240453
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 24/04:31:50Z
B. 29 deg 07 min N
093 deg 29 min W
C. 700 mb 2533 m
D. NA kt
E. 000 deg 000 nm
F. 201 deg 107 kt
G. 130 deg 043 nm
H. 934 mb
I. 10 C/ 3050 m
J. 17 C/ 3038 m
K. 15 C/ NA
L. OPEN ESE
M. C30
N. 12345/ 7
O. 0.02 / 2 nm
P. AF309 2518A RITA OB 08
MAX FL WIND 117 KT NE QUAD 02:50:20 Z
MAX FL TEMP 18 C, 126 / 26NM

It's amazing to me how low the pressure still is, it's still falls around the middle of the range of cat 4.

[edit on 9/24/2005 by djohnsto77]

Latest Water Vapor


Looks like its on the edge of landing.

Here's a bit of irony for ya:

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
0732 AM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT ALEXANDRIA...

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 98 DEGREES WAS SET AT ALEXANDRIA
YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 95 SET IN 1997.

More LA climate reports here:
iwin.nws.noaa.gov...

water vapor floater--little closer


I feel better already, amazing what a cup of joe does

[edit on 24-9-2005 by Regenmacher]

so this thing seemed to completely miss most of texas and Louisana is take most of the brunt, the talk of this being the worst storm in texas ever is alot of hype. i'm 2 hours out from the worst of it and still have power, and the local weather men are saying we wont see winds over 60mph in the city of houston, rough winds no doubt, but not reason to evacuate 2.4 million people, create a gas shortage(none in the city). and have 24 people die. that nursing home is 10 minutes from me and i can assure you there was no reason to evacuate.

Another Tornado Warning From NOAA

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
CALCASIEU PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
CAMERON PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
ORANGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 200 AM CDT

* AT 1150 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
THE LEADING EDGE OF HURRICANE RITAS EYEWALL APPROACHING JEFFERSON
COUNTY AND CAMERON PARISH.

* DESTRUCTIVE SUSTAINED WINDS OF 100 TO 120 MPH WILL SPREAD ACROSS
CAMERON AND CALCASIEU PARISHES AS WELL AS JEFFERSON AND ORANGE
COUNTIES PRODUCING TORNADO-LIKE DAMAGE THROUGH 2 AM.

TAKE COVER NOW! TREAT THESE IMMINENT EXTREME WINDS AS IF A TORNADO
WAS APPROACHING.

THESE DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WILL PRODUCE WIND DAMAGE SIMILAR TO A
TORNADO. SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.


These reports are coming in all over. I think this will be one of the Big Stories tomorrow.

Okay tonight's speculation is coming around that Rita may stall and go back into the Gulf reform and do it again. Check out the Navy's dead stop forecast, rather bizarre to say the least.


click to enlarge map

jacquescas, I hope I am wrong but, according to one forecaster the wors't is yet to come for Houston with the eyewall just hitting shore. We will wait and see. Stay safe till Rita is done.

Originally posted by Regenmacher
Okay tonight's speculation is coming around that Rita may stall and go back into the Gulf reform and do it again. Check out the Navy's dead stop forecast, rather bizarre to say the least.


click to enlarge map

That would be a big surprise would it not ?

Originally posted by jacquescas
so this thing seemed to completely miss most of texas and Louisana is take most of the brunt, the talk of this being the worst storm in texas ever is alot of hype............ that nursing home is 10 minutes from me and i can assure you there was no reason to evacuate.

Better safe than dead, and they didn't want to even imagine the same result as the Katrina quigmire. I'm sure Allison is fresh in the Houstonians heads too.

They had to act 2+ days out and that's hard to forecast the exact landfall. Predicting the future is not infallible.

So what's the price of the dead and whose worthy enough to the roll dice and risk human lives? Nagan?


[edit on 24-9-2005 by Regenmacher]