Winds now at 150mph I think only 5 mph more and it hits Cat 5....so much for all those experts saying that Katrina cooled the Gulf, and that would cause Rita to remain only a Cat 3 storm.. This is going to be ugly. DD
Actually i'm more worried about wind damage and falling trees/power/telephone lines than flooding. You can get on this site to see where you are in regards to the 100/500 yr flood plain and most areas are pretty safe. Allison wasn't as powerful but did so much damage because it just sat on top of Houston for so long that all the bayous/sewers etc just filled up to the brim. But because of the level of most of houston it came down rather quickly. I really don't think it will be that bad and I will only leave if strong evidence/mandatory evacuations are for Houston. But until then I have my shotgun, my lanterns, my propane and stove, tons of EAS protien bars/shakes and a three story townhouse in an area thats never flooded and is higher than all the surrounding houses! Of course i'll let them stay w/ me if they get flooded as long as they stay away from my beef jerky!
000 WTNT63 KNHC 211807 TCUAT3 HURRICANE RITA TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 215 PM EDT WED SEP 21 2005 DATA FROM RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT RITA HAS INTENSIFIED A LITTLE MORE AND WINDS HAVE REACHED 150 MPH WINDS WITH A MINIMUM PRESSURE OF 920 MB. THIS MAKES RITA A STRONG CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE. FORECASTER AVILA $$ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCUAT3+shtml/211807.shtml
The latest RECON reports confirm RITA is now a CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 Hurricane. Center Pressure is down to 920mb, and MAX Sustained winds of 153KTs at Flight level -- implying 155mph surface winds. with gusts to 175mph.
If this hurricane aims just a little more southerly in the next 24 hours, we'll be fine. If its still heading straight for us by tomorrow night, then I'll cancel my flight. But for now, a hurricane's path is way too unpredictable for me to justify changing my weekend schedule.
This is probably the most perfect looking hurricane I've ever seen. Some area is going to get hit pretty hard. Let's hope its not us. http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/sat...small&endDate=20050921&endTime=-1&duration=12
That, of course, depends on where you live. Even if Rita hits Houston square in the kisser, I'd still choose to ride it out. Of course, I live in Bellaire.
Makes me curious why people would take the chance getting hit by a category five storm instead of going on a weekend vaction say a couple hundred miles away? If you wait too long, you are really messed up, if it doesn't hit, what have you lost? A couple hundred bucks!
If you leave you can't say that you're hardcore. You'd just be another sissy that ran from a cat 5 hurricane.
The City I work for is closing tomorrow and Friday. UH is closed so I have no class or work the next few days. I hope this is an overreaction because of Katrina's freshness.
