Hurricane Rita: 1 million must
get out
Wed Sep 21, 2005 18:24
64.140.158.42
Hurricane Rita: 1 million must get out
21/09/2005 00:00 - (SA)
Related Articles
# Rita: Race against time
# Rita is becoming stronger
# New Orleans threatened again
# Rita pounds Florida Keys
# Rita now a hurricane
# Tropical storm clears Bahamas
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1804299,00.html
Galveston/Washington - President George W Bush on Wednesday ordered a state of emergency in Texas and Louisiana as Hurricane Rita was upgraded to a Catergory 5 storm, the White House said.
The measure will open up special federal funds for the southern states.
Hospital and nursing home patients were evacuated and as many as 1 million other people were ordered to clear out along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as Hurricane Rita turned into a 241km/h monster that could pound Texas and bring more misery to New Orleans by week's end.
Forecasters said Rita could be the most intense hurricane on record ever to hit Texas, and one of the most powerful ever to slam into the US mainland.
All of Galveston, low-lying sections of Houston and Corpus Christi, and a mostly emptied-out New Orleans were under mandatory evacuation orders, one day after Rita sideswiped the Florida Keys as a far weaker storm and caused minor damage.
Having seen what Hurricane Katrina did three weeks ago, many people were taking no chances.
Rescue, medical teams on standby
"I really think it is going to be bad. That's really why I'm running. All these years I've stayed here, but I've got to go this time," said 65-year-old Barbara Anders. "I don't have but one life and it is time for me to go."
The federal government rushed hundreds of truckloads of water, ice and ready-made meals to the Gulf Coast and put rescue and medical teams on standby.
By early afternoon, Rita, like Katrina, was a Category 4 storm, and was centred more than 1 126km southeast of Corpus Christi. Forecasters predicted it would come ashore on Saturday along the central Texas coast between Galveston and Corpus Christi. But even a slight rightward turn could prove devastating to New Orleans.
The last major hurricane to hit Texas was Alicia in 1983. It flooded downtown Houston, spawned 22 tornadoes and left 21 people dead. The damage from the Category 3 storm was put at more than $2bn.
Most intense hurricane ever to strike Texas
"Let's hope that the hurricane does not hit at a Category 4 strength and let's hope the lessons we've learned - the painful, tragic lessons that have been learnt in the last few weeks - will best prepare us for what could happen with Rita," Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu said in New York.
Rita, based on its current internal pressure, would be the most intense hurricane ever to strike Texas, stronger even than an unnamed storm that hit Indianola in 1886. Accurate wind speed measurements are not available that far back.
Only three Category 5 hurricanes are known to have hit the US mainland - the 1935 Florida Keys hurricane, Camille in 1969 and Andrew in 1992. Also, the mainland has never been hit by two Category 4 storms in the same year, according to government forecasters.
---------------------
Today's Discussion
Today's Discussion Posted: September 21, 2005 4:12 p.m.
RITA VERY CLOSE TO BECOMING A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE. Hurricane Watches
will be posted by late this afternoon for the Texas coast.
As of 4:00 PM EDT Wednesday, Rita is packing sustained winds of 165 mph with gusts to 185 mph; this makes Rita a category 5 hurricane. This is the season's second catastrophic hurricane. As of 2:00 PM EDT, Rita was centered near 24.3 north and 86.2 west, or 745 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. The minimum central pressure has fallen to 920 millibars (27.17 inches of mercury). Rita was moving to the west at 14 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles, and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles from the center of circulation. Given that Rita is on the verge of becoming a category 5 hurricane, the wind field will probably expand further later today.
Rita will continue to track westward through the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Wednesday afternoon and night with further strengthening expected as it crosses the same warm waters that helped Katrina strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane. So, it is no surprise that this hurricane has become a catastrophic hurricane.
Rita will generally track to the west as an upper-level high pressure ridge over Texas expands eastward across the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The track that Rita takes will depend on how this high moves, weakens and strengthens. We currently expect this upper ridge of high pressure to remain strong and steer Rita on a general westerly course across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico through Wednesday night into Thursday. Then we expect the high to either split or move eastward causing Rita to move west-northwest early Friday then more northwestward Friday night and Saturday. We are estimating landfall between Galveston and Corpus Christi sometime between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday. Ocean water analysis shows some cooler water in place about 300 miles off the Texas coast, then warmer water again right near the Texas coast in our primary projected landfall area, so the intensity forecast at landfall will be a real challenge. After Rita makes landfall, it will head northwest between Austin and Houston then track between Dallas and Tyler Sunday. We expect hurricane force winds to spread over a large area of eastern Texas after landfall. In fact, high-rise buildings in the Houston area could experience wind gusts to near 100 mph. This could cause some windows to shatter. In addition to possible damaging hurricane-force winds, tornadoes might be spawned by the cyclonic rotation from Rita mainly east and northeast of the center of circulation.
As of 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Tropical Storm Philippe is drifting slowly northward and has weakened some. It is centered near 0.2 north and 57.2 west, or about 370 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands. Philippe was moving to the north at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 millibars or 29.53 inches.
Philippe is expected to remain a tropical storm over the next 24 hours but could become a hurricane again within the the next few days as it moves to the north-northwest. This will keep the tropical storm well to the northeast of the Lesser Antilles. It will move into the central Atlantic by midweek; those with interests in Bermuda will have to monitor this system over the next several days, but it appears most likely that the storm will remain east of Bermuda.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
A tropical low near 49 west, south of 20 north was moving westward at 10-15 knots. Showers and thunderstorms are accompanying this wave, and development is not expected for at least the next two days. A tropical wave was along 33 west, south of 20 north, moving west at 10-15 knots. Nearby, African dust is limiting convection with this system, so no development is expected in the near future. A tropical wave is also in the Caribbean near 87 west, south of 20 north; no development is expected with this wave in the near future.
RITA UPDATES:
21/09/2005 00:00 - (SA)
Related Articles
# Rita: Race against time
# Rita is becoming stronger
# New Orleans threatened again
# Rita pounds Florida Keys
# Rita now a hurricane
# Tropical storm clears Bahamas
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1804299,00.html
Galveston/Washington - President George W Bush on Wednesday ordered a state of emergency in Texas and Louisiana as Hurricane Rita was upgraded to a Catergory 5 storm, the White House said.
The measure will open up special federal funds for the southern states.
Hospital and nursing home patients were evacuated and as many as 1 million other people were ordered to clear out along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as Hurricane Rita turned into a 241km/h monster that could pound Texas and bring more misery to New Orleans by week's end.
Forecasters said Rita could be the most intense hurricane on record ever to hit Texas, and one of the most powerful ever to slam into the US mainland.
All of Galveston, low-lying sections of Houston and Corpus Christi, and a mostly emptied-out New Orleans were under mandatory evacuation orders, one day after Rita sideswiped the Florida Keys as a far weaker storm and caused minor damage.
Having seen what Hurricane Katrina did three weeks ago, many people were taking no chances.
Rescue, medical teams on standby
"I really think it is going to be bad. That's really why I'm running. All these years I've stayed here, but I've got to go this time," said 65-year-old Barbara Anders. "I don't have but one life and it is time for me to go."
The federal government rushed hundreds of truckloads of water, ice and ready-made meals to the Gulf Coast and put rescue and medical teams on standby.
By early afternoon, Rita, like Katrina, was a Category 4 storm, and was centred more than 1 126km southeast of Corpus Christi. Forecasters predicted it would come ashore on Saturday along the central Texas coast between Galveston and Corpus Christi. But even a slight rightward turn could prove devastating to New Orleans.
The last major hurricane to hit Texas was Alicia in 1983. It flooded downtown Houston, spawned 22 tornadoes and left 21 people dead. The damage from the Category 3 storm was put at more than $2bn.
Most intense hurricane ever to strike Texas
"Let's hope that the hurricane does not hit at a Category 4 strength and let's hope the lessons we've learned - the painful, tragic lessons that have been learnt in the last few weeks - will best prepare us for what could happen with Rita," Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu said in New York.
Rita, based on its current internal pressure, would be the most intense hurricane ever to strike Texas, stronger even than an unnamed storm that hit Indianola in 1886. Accurate wind speed measurements are not available that far back.
Only three Category 5 hurricanes are known to have hit the US mainland - the 1935 Florida Keys hurricane, Camille in 1969 and Andrew in 1992. Also, the mainland has never been hit by two Category 4 storms in the same year, according to government forecasters.
---------------------
Today's Discussion
Today's Discussion Posted: September 21, 2005 4:12 p.m.
RITA VERY CLOSE TO BECOMING A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE. Hurricane Watches
will be posted by late this afternoon for the Texas coast.
As of 4:00 PM EDT Wednesday, Rita is packing sustained winds of 165 mph with gusts to 185 mph; this makes Rita a category 5 hurricane. This is the season's second catastrophic hurricane. As of 2:00 PM EDT, Rita was centered near 24.3 north and 86.2 west, or 745 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. The minimum central pressure has fallen to 920 millibars (27.17 inches of mercury). Rita was moving to the west at 14 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles, and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles from the center of circulation. Given that Rita is on the verge of becoming a category 5 hurricane, the wind field will probably expand further later today.
Rita will continue to track westward through the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Wednesday afternoon and night with further strengthening expected as it crosses the same warm waters that helped Katrina strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane. So, it is no surprise that this hurricane has become a catastrophic hurricane.
Rita will generally track to the west as an upper-level high pressure ridge over Texas expands eastward across the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The track that Rita takes will depend on how this high moves, weakens and strengthens. We currently expect this upper ridge of high pressure to remain strong and steer Rita on a general westerly course across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico through Wednesday night into Thursday. Then we expect the high to either split or move eastward causing Rita to move west-northwest early Friday then more northwestward Friday night and Saturday. We are estimating landfall between Galveston and Corpus Christi sometime between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday. Ocean water analysis shows some cooler water in place about 300 miles off the Texas coast, then warmer water again right near the Texas coast in our primary projected landfall area, so the intensity forecast at landfall will be a real challenge. After Rita makes landfall, it will head northwest between Austin and Houston then track between Dallas and Tyler Sunday. We expect hurricane force winds to spread over a large area of eastern Texas after landfall. In fact, high-rise buildings in the Houston area could experience wind gusts to near 100 mph. This could cause some windows to shatter. In addition to possible damaging hurricane-force winds, tornadoes might be spawned by the cyclonic rotation from Rita mainly east and northeast of the center of circulation.
As of 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Tropical Storm Philippe is drifting slowly northward and has weakened some. It is centered near 0.2 north and 57.2 west, or about 370 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands. Philippe was moving to the north at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 millibars or 29.53 inches.
Philippe is expected to remain a tropical storm over the next 24 hours but could become a hurricane again within the the next few days as it moves to the north-northwest. This will keep the tropical storm well to the northeast of the Lesser Antilles. It will move into the central Atlantic by midweek; those with interests in Bermuda will have to monitor this system over the next several days, but it appears most likely that the storm will remain east of Bermuda.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
A tropical low near 49 west, south of 20 north was moving westward at 10-15 knots. Showers and thunderstorms are accompanying this wave, and development is not expected for at least the next two days. A tropical wave was along 33 west, south of 20 north, moving west at 10-15 knots. Nearby, African dust is limiting convection with this system, so no development is expected in the near future. A tropical wave is also in the Caribbean near 87 west, south of 20 north; no development is expected with this wave in the near future.
RITA UPDATES:
