HURRICANE RITA

Meterologist Daniel Brown checks the status on Hurricane
Rita at the National Hurricane Center Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005,
in Miami. Rita strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday as it
lashed the Florida Keys with heavy rain and strong wind, threatening
the island chain with a storm surge of up to 7 feet and sparking
fears the storm could eventually bring new misery to the
Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 85 MPH...140 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES... 45 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 120 MILES...195 KM. SOMBRERO KEY RECENTLY REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 59 MPH...95 KM/HR WITH GUSTS TO 72 MPH...117 KM/HR. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WAS 982 MB...29.00 INCHES.

RITA CHURNS THROUGH THE KEYS

Feeder bands from Hurricane Rita cross over a church in
Haulover Beach, Florida, September 20, 2005.
Tropical Storm Rita strengthened into a hurricane on
Tuesday and lashed the low-lying islands of the Florida
Keys with gusty squalls and heavy rain. All 80,000 residents
had been ordered out of the Keys on Monday but many stayed
behind in boarded-up homes to await Rita's arrival.
REUTERS/Marc Serota

Women walk on Miami Beach in Florida.
Hurricane Rita barreled toward a vulnerable
chain of islands in southernmost Florida.
Reuters photo

Miami, Florida - Hurricane Rita
Reuters photo

WINDS ARE NOW SUSTAINED AT 100 MILES PER HOUR WITH GUSTS TO 120 MILES PER HOUR

RITA IS A LARGE HURRICANE THIS AFTERNOON - SHE IS COVERING A LARGE CHUNK OF REAL ESTATE

Waves break on a beach in Varadero as Hurricane Rita
passes near Cuba, September 20, 2005.
As strengthening Hurricane Rita lashed the low-lying islands
of the Florida Keys, hurricane warnings were also in effect for
northwestern Cuba where thousands of people were evacuated
from flood-prone coastal areas. REUTERS/Claudia Daut

A man walks along the beach past a toppled over lifeguard
stand as Hurricane Rita approaches Key Largo.
REUTERS

KEY WEST, FLORIDA - TUESDAY AFTERNOON
REUTERS

HURRICANE RITA - 4 p.m. EASTERN TIME

THE EYE OF RITA - SOUTH OF KEY WEST FLORIDA

A man walks through a flooded parking lot at the San Pedro
Village mobile home park as Hurricane Rita strikes in the
Florida Keys in Islandmorada, Florida

BULLETIN HURRICANE RITA ADVISORY NUMBER 13 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 5 PM EDT TUE SEP 20 2005 ...RITA PASSING SOUTH OF KEY WEST...MOVING INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE FLORIDA KEYS...AND FROM SOUTH OF FLORIDA CITY ON THE FLORIDA SOUTHEAST COAST SOUTHWARD TO EAST CAPE SABLE...THEN NORTHWARD TO CHOKOLOSKEE ON THE SOUTHWEST COAST. THE HURRICANE WARNING WILL LIKELY BE DISCONTINUED LATER TODAY AS RITA MOVES FARTHER INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF MATANZAS...CIUDAD DE HABANA...AND LA HABANA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST COAST NORTH OF CHOKOLOSKEE TO ENGLEWOOD. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCE OF PINAR DEL RIO. AT 5 PM EDT...2100Z...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS NORTH OF FLORIDA CITY AND FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AT 5 PM EDT...2100Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.2 WEST OR ABOUT 50 MILES...80 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA AND ABOUT 55 MILES...90 KM...NORTH-NORTHEAST OF HAVANA CUBA. RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 15 MPH...24 KM/HR...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THIS TRACK WILL BRING RITA INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 100 MPH...160 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES... 75 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES...220 KM. SAND KEY JUST REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 60 MPH...97 KM/HR AND A GUST OF 92 MPH...148 KM/HR. VARADERO CUBA MEASURED GUSTS TO 60 MPH...90 KM/HR. LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE PLANE WAS 973 MB...28.73 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...ARE STILL POSSIBLE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS IN AREAS OF ONSHORE FLOW. COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 2 TO 4 FEET IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA COAST....BUT GRADUALLY DECREASING THIS EVENING. RITA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS...CENTRAL AND WESTERN CUBA... WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 10 INCHES...EXCEPT UP TO 20 INCHES OVER PORTIONS OF WESTERN CUBA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA. THERE IS POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED TORNADOS OVER SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS. REPEATING THE 5 PM EDT POSITION...24.0 N... 82.2 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 15 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...100 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 973 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 8 PM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 11 PM EDT. FORECASTER AVILA $$ HURRICANE RITA - 5 p.m. Eastern Time

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS HAVE BEEN ORDERED FOR GALVESTON ISLAND, TEXAS AS OF 5 P.M.

Officials have called for mandatory evacuations ahead of Hurricane Rita. The order is for every one living in Galveston County.

People in medical centers and nursing homes to start at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Residential evacuations start at 6 p.m. The county's evacuation plan calls for the evacuation of residents in phases.

People in medical care and other facilities needing special help are scheduled to begin evacuations at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Zone A of the evacuation plan which includes the southern portions of the county including Galveston Island, Tiki Island and Bayou Vista begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Zone B of the plan which includes the central portions of the county's mainland as well as the bay front communities of Kemah, San Leon and Bacliff are to start evacuation at 2 a.m. Thursday.

Zone C which is the northern reaches of the county including League City and Friendswood will start evacuation at 12 p.m. Thursday.

Tropical force winds from Hurricane Rita are expected to hit the county by early Friday.

EVACUATION ZONES

ZONE A – 6 PM Wednesday, Sept. 21

Galveston Island (I-45)
Jamaica Beach (I-45)
Tiki Island (I-45)
Bayou Vista (Hwy. 6)
Clear Lake Shores (Hwy. 146)
Kemah (Hwy. 146)
San Leon-Bacliff-Bayview (Hwy. 146)
Bolivar Peninsula (Hwy. 87 and Hwy. 124)

ZONE B – 2 AM Thursday, Sept. 22

Texas City (Hwy. 146)
La Marque (I-45)
Hitchcock (Hwy. 6)
Dickinson (I-45)

ZONE C – 12 NOON Thursday, Sept. 22
(Use Highway 6)

League City (I-45, Hwy. 146)
Friendswood (I-45)
Santa Fe (Hwy. 6)

An emergency vehicle makes its way up a section of U.S. 1
that was covered in sand and debris as Hurricane Rita passes
through Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005, in Islamorada, Fla.
AP PHOTO

An emergency vehicle makes it way through a flooded street as
Hurricane Rita passes through Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005, in Islamorada, Fla.
AP PHOTO

A old Chevrolet Impala passes by the Havana's Malecon
splashed by waves, as Hurricane Rita started barrelling Cuba.
AFP PHOTO

A laptop showing Hurricane Rita's predicted three-day track
is shown, as US President George W. Bush (C) listens with
Lt General Russ Honore (L) and Lousiana Governor Kathleen
Blanco, aboard USS Iwo Jima in New Orleans, LA, during a
briefing on Hurricane Rita. Blanco declared a state of
emergency in western Louisiana and urged people to evacuate
parts of the state due to the new threat of Hurricane Rita.(AFP/Jim Watson)

A man watches the surf as Hurricane Rita approaches
Key Largo, Florida September 20, 2005. Strengthening
Hurricane Rita lashed the low-lying islands of the Florida Keys
with rainy squalls on Tuesday and Gulf Coast communities to the
west braced for a possible encore to devastating Hurricane
Katrina. (Marc Serota/Reuters)

HURRICANE RITA MOVING OUT OF THE FLORIDA KEYS

HURRICANE RITA ON TUESDAY EVENING - 7 p.m. EASTERN

LAST VISIBLE SHOTS OF RITA - TUESDAY EVENING

THE EYE OF RITA - SOUTHWEST OF KEY WEST

BJSpice Wunderground Photo - Miami, Florida

BJSpice Wunderground Photo - Miami, Florida

8 p.m. RITA CHURNS INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO - GAINING STRENGTH

TCPAT3 BULLETIN HURRICANE RITA ADVISORY NUMBER 14 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 11 PM EDT TUE SEP 20 2005 ...RITA RAPIDLY STRENGTHENING AS IT PASSES SOUTH OF DRY TORTUGAS... ...CHANGES MADE TO FLORIDA WARNINGS... AT 11 PM EDT...0300Z...A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS FROM WEST OF THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE WESTWARD TO KEY WEST AND DRY TORTUGAS. AT 11 PM EDT...THE HURRICANE WARNING FOR THE MIDDLE AND UPPER FLORIDA KEYS HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE EAST AND NORTH TO OCEAN REEF...INCLUDING FLORIDA BAY. AT 11 PM EDT...ALL WARNINGS HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED FOR THE FLORIDA PENINSULA. A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF MATANZAS...CIUDAD DE HABANA...AND LA HABANA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCE OF PINAR DEL RIO. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AT 11 PM EDT...0300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.1 NORTH... LONGITUDE 83.2 WEST OR ABOUT 45 MILES...70 KM... SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF DRY TORTUGAS...ABOUT 95 MILES... 150 KM... WEST-SOUTHWEST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA AND ABOUT 80 MILES... 130 KM... NORTHWEST OF HAVANA CUBA. RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 13 MPH...20 KM/HR. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS...WHICH WILL TAKE RITA AWAY FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS AND WESTERN CUBA AND INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO WEDNESDAY MORNING. DATA FROM THE KEY WEST NOAA DOPPLER RADAR AND AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE NOW INCREASED TO NEAR 110 MPH...175 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA IS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND RITA IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE WEDNESDAY MORNING... AND REACH CATEGORY FOUR STRENGTH BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES... 75 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES...220 KM. DURING THE PAST HOUR...A GUST TO 61 MPH WAS REPORTED AT THE KEY WEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...AND A SUSTAINED WIND OF 51 MPH WITH A GUST TO 64 MPH WAS REPORTED AT DRY TORTUGAS. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE RECENTLY REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS 965 MB...28.50 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...ARE STILL POSSIBLE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS IN AREAS OF ONSHORE FLOW. COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 1 TO 3 FEET IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA COAST. STORM SURGE VALUES WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE LATER TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY IN ALL AREAS. RITA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS AND THE SOUTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA...WITH ISOLATED STORM TOTAL AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER WESTERN CUBA AND 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER THE NORTHERN YUCATAN PENINSULA...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 20 INCHES OVER PORTIONS OF WESTERN CUBA. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY. REPEATING THE 11 PM EDT POSITION...24.1 N... 83.2 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 13 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 965 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 2 AM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 5 AM EDT. FORECASTER STEWART y

NEARLY 40,000 PEOPLE REMAIN IN SHELTERS TONIGHT ACROSS THE UNITED STATES FROM HURRICANE KATRINA.

THE RED CROSS NOW ESTIMATES THAT THIS DISASTER WILL COST THE CHARITY MORE THAN 2 BILLION DOLLARS.