RITA IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE AS OF 2 A.M. EASTERN TIME
THE HURRICANE SEASON FROM HELL
RITA GAINS STRENGTH IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
NOW A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE
RITA IS THE FIFTH MAJOR HURRICANE OF THE SEASON
RITA IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE AS OF 2 A.M. EASTERN TIME
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TCPAT3
BULLETIN
HURRICANE RITA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 14A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
2 AM EDT WED SEP 21 2005
...RITA BECOMES FIFTH MAJOR HURRICANE OF THE 2005 SEASON AS IT MOVES
WESTWARD AWAY FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS...
DATA FROM THE KEY WEST NOAA DOPPLER RADAR INDICATE MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE NOW INCREASED TO NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...
WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA IS NOW A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING
THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND RITA IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A CATEGORY FOUR
HURRICANE SOMETIME LATER TODAY.
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. THE AUTOMATED STATION AT THE DRY TORTUGAS
REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 65 MPH AND A GUST TO 87 MPH BEFORE
CONTACT WITH THE STATION WAS LOST.
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 960 MB...28.35 INCHES.
4 a.m. Eastern Time - RITA
ALL EYES ON TEXAS AS RITA MOVES THROUGH THE GULF OF
MEXICO AS A POWERFUL CATEGORY
THREE HURRICANE.
STATE OF EMERGENCY ISSUED FOR TEXAS AND ALL OF LOUISIANA
5 a.m. UPDATE
WINDS ARE NOW 120 MILES PER HOUR WITH GUSTS ABOVE 150 MILES PER HOUR
5:45 a.m. RITA
RITA IN THE GULF OF MEXICO - 5:45 a.m.
RITA ROARING IN THE GULF OF MEXICO EARLY
WEDNESDAY MORNING
Morning Forecast Tracks - ALL EYES ON TEXAS
Waves crash against Havana's seafront boulevard as
Hurricane
Rita passes near Cuba September 20, 2005. (Stringer/Reuters)
A car with meteorological equipment drives down a
water
covered street as Hurricane Rita passes by the low-lying island
chain in Key West, Florida. Hurricane Rita pounded the fragile
Florida Keys islands before barreling into the oil-rich Gulf of
Mexico on a track that could take it close to devastated
New Orleans(AFP/Getty Images/Carlo Allegri)
Rita continues to grow this morning...aircraft is unable to get in there to take readings. Rita is LIKELY a category four already
500,000 HOMES DAMAGED OR DESTROYED BY HURRICANE KATRINA
RED CROSS NOW ESTIMATES THIS IS A 2 BILLION DOLLAR CATASTROPHE FOR THEIR AGENCY
PRESIDENT BUSH AND UNITED STATES LEADERS BELIEVE THAT KATRINA COULD BE A $200 BILLION DOLLAR HURRICANE.
AMERICA BRACES ITSELF FOR HURRICANE RITA
HURRICANE RITA - A POWERFUL STORM THIS MORNING
NOAA MORNING SATELLITE SHOT OF RITA
8 a.m.
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE RITA
TCPAT3
BULLETIN
HURRICANE RITA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 15A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
8 AM EDT WED SEP 21 2005
...SATELLITE SUGGESTS THAT RITA HAS BECOME A CATEGORY FOUR
HURRICANE...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS FROM
THE MARQUESAS KEYS WESTWARD TO THE DRY TORTUGAS.
INTERESTS IN THE NORTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO SHOULD MONITOR THE
PROGRESS OF RITA.
RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 14 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THIS MOTION SHOULD
BRING THE CENTER OF RITA FARTHER AWAY FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS OVER
THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO TODAY.
SATELLITE IMAGERY SUGGESTS THAT RITA HAS CONTINUED TO STRENGHTEN AND
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 135 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. RITA IS NOW A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. A NOAA PLANE WILL CHECK THE INTENSITY LATER THIS MORNING.
SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES FROM THE
CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140
MILES.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 948 MB...28.00 INCHES.
FIRST VISIBLE IMAGE OF RITA - 7:30 A.M. - WEDNESDAY
HURRICANE RITA - 7:47 a.m.
FIRST VISIBLE SHOTS COMING IN...
A MONSTER HURRICANE - CAT FOUR
THE EYE OF RITA EARLY MORNING VISIBLE SHOT
|
8:30 a.m. POWERFUL RITA
THE EYE OF RITA - SHOWING A CIRCULAR PATTERN INSIDE THE EYE - A PINWHEEL
8:15 a.m. Rita
Traffic heads out of Galveston, Texas, in
preparation
for Hurricane Rita September 20, 2005.
REUTERS/Tim Johnson Wed Sep 21, 8:44 AM ET
An electronic highway sign alerts drivers of the evacuation plans
for Galveston, Texas, in preparation for Hurricane Rita,
September 20, 2005. (Tim Johnson/Reuters)
9:00 A.M. HURRICANE RITA A MONSTER
RITA AT 9 A.M.
MORNING TEXAS NEWSPAPERS
HAVANA CUBA - TUESDAY AFTERNOON
RITA ROARING INTO THE
GULF OF MEXICO AS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE
SPECIAL RED CROSS STATEMENT
Rita Alters Katrina Relief Operation
Because of Houston’s potential for flooding, shelter residents there are being evacuated once again to shelters in other parts of the country not threatened by storms. Residents from Houston area shelters were scheduled to take commercial flights to shelters in Arkansas and Tennessee starting Tuesday afternoon.
“Rita’s shelter operation could potentially be larger than what we dealt with for Katrina,” said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President of Preparedness and Response for the American Red Cross. “Any Texas coast evacuation would result in a massive shelter population. In addition there are no hotels available in the area, which compounds the problem.”
The goal is to have the transfer of Houston’s shelter residents completed by Tuesday night. As of Tuesday, there were still about 1,000 residents sheltering at the Reliant Center.
“Some are going to Red Cross shelters in other states, some people will be going to military bases,” Becker said. “We are working with every group we can, and we are trying to bring in new volunteers to help support this operation. It’s going to take thousands of Red Cross hers to handle the sheltering, and the response after the storm.”
Rita also thwarted plans of New Orleans officials who had already reopened the city Monday to residents who had not been able to return to the city since Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin invited residents to begin returning to the city in limited numbers this weekend, but concerns about the city’s ability to handle another hurricane forced him to rescind that invitation.
“If we get 9 inches of rain or better, there will probably 3 to 4 feet of water in the city,” said Nagin in a press conference Monday evening. “But the main concern is the storm surge. If we get a surge of just three feet, there is going to be significant water in the city.”
All American Red Cross disaster
assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from
the American people. You can help the victims of this disaster and thousands of
other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the
American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide
shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP
NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may
be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross,
P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online
contribution by visiting
www.redcross.org.
10 a.m. EYE OF RITA - POWERFUL HURRICANE IN THE GULF OF
MEXICO
POWERFUL CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE RITA - WAITING FOR RECON UPDATE
10 a.m.
RITA WINDS NOW GUSTING OVER 160 MPH
10 a.m. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE RITA
POSSIBLE STORM SURGE - WAVES TO 40 FEET
11 a.m.
WINDS ARE NOW UP TO 140 MPH SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS OVER 170
140 mph sustained winds in Rita - late morning
THE PERFECT STORM - 11:15 a.m. EASTERN TIME
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