Tropical Storm/Hurricane Rita

[TrueAmerican]

If it turns out to be as ugly as Rita Crosby. This storm could be nasty.

[flowomo]

1. I was thinking of Lovely Rita, (baro)Meter Maid....

[MoonRiver]

2. Heard it's projected to be a 3.

I have family in TX. :scared:

[BlueJac]

3. Rita will be covering the Aruba missing Blond case

[Junkdrawer]

4. Latest 5 day has it hitting Houston...

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT18/refresh/AL1805W5_sm2+gif/151209W_sm.gif

[KharmaTrain]

8. I Think This Rita Blows More...

I hear that she comes in hot and wet and when she leaves...she takes the house...

[ClintonTyree]

5. I often wonder........

what she has on somebody (or does to somebody) that keeps her on television. She is the most talentless, skanky, shrill "hostess" on any of these "news" programs. Usually the talking heads are, at the very least, cute. But Rita is an unfortunate looking woman along with the rest of her obvious flaws. Why is she there? :shrug:

[theHandpuppet]

13. Oh? Are Aaron Brown, Larry King and Wolf Blitzer "cute"?

Damn, this is one of the most sexist conversations I've seen here in a while.

[ovidsen]

22. Let's be cynical for a second

I think that CT's point is that, regardless of her looks (and beauty is in the eye of the beholder), at least Rita could have some brains. I prefer brains and looks, I'm happy with brains without looks, I can at least LOOK at looks without brains (turn the sound down?) but no looks and no brains is a waste of electricity. That's not sexist, that's reality.

Re: Brown, King and the Blitz man, they may not be hotties, but occasionally they show some thought. IMO, of course.

[RagingInMiami]

6. I'm here in Miami

So I will have to board up my windows tonight.

[geomon666]

9. Why? n/t

[RagingInMiami]

12. I have shutters you can just roll over.

If this one turns out to be another Katrina, which hit is harder than we expected, then I rather be safe than sorry.

[geomon666]

15. True but...

It isn't going to hit us man. Even Katrina was following one of the models, just not the most...believable one I should say for lack of a better word.

[RagingInMiami]

16. I'm going to have my eye on it

If it comes even close -- these things always have a mind of their own and can veer off path -- then I'll put on the shutters, which takes me 15 minutes at the most.

[geomon666]

17. They don't have a mind of their own.

And no they can't just veer off the path. That's why there are more than just one forecast model.

[RagingInMiami]

18. I've lived down here all my life

And I can tell you that hurricanes do have a mind of their own. Of course I'm being figurative.

Were you here for Hurricane David back in 1979 which was supposed to be a direct hit on Miami, but veered at the last moment?


Or Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which was supposed to be strike Broward, but struck South-Dade?

[geomon666]

No I arrived in Miami a year later.

And yes I was here for Andrew and even then I knew it could dip down south which is what it did, right over my house. There's more than one forecast model. TV chooses to show you the most likely path but that doesn't mean there aren't others to be chosen.

[Scurrilous]

37. I remember David...

... I was too lazy to board up for that one. Very happy when it veered away at the last moment.

This one looks like it'll stay south of Miami-Dade. We're under Hurricane warning which'll make my kid happy . NO school!

[FlaGranny]

20. Katrina wasn't following any models.

Katrina was a storm. Storms don't follow models. The models try to figure out what the storm will do. Usually they are pretty good, but sometimes not so good. As far as hitting Miami - right now we are getting the very outermost rain and wind bands up here in Palm Beach County. Never trust a hurricane that is that close to you to not hit you.

The northern reach of this storm is VERY large.

[geomon666]

25. Really?

It's sunny in Miami. And yes Katrina did follow the model. Cars don't follow models but if I see one moving down a street I can say with complete certainty that it will reach the end of the street.

Yes the storm is large. I've never personally seen a small one though. This is a faster moving storm, less wind and less rain. It's not going to do anything to Miami and certainly not Palm Beach county.

[jus_the_facts]

29. Katrina did NOT hit the panhandle of Florida as the models suggested.....

....she veered farther west than the models predicted. :think:

[geomon666]

30. Um...no

The models were pretty damn accurate as far as the second land fall is concerned. There's always a chance for wobbling in either direction which of course could affect wide areas depending on where the shift takes place.

[Rainscents]

39. Katrina DID NOT follow model!

You really need to do your research!

[geomon666]

40. I did

Here's my proof:




Where's yours?

[FlaGranny]

41. Those prediction tracks are from when the storm

was right off the coast of Florida. Put up the predicted tracks from when it was west of the Bahamas, please.

I certainly hope that your denial doesn't get you into trouble in the future. What hurricane was it last year that was predicted to hit Bermuda and hit the Bahamas instead?

"Frances strengthened rapidly, reaching Category 3 intensity 24 hours later on the 27th and Category 4 the next day. Initially forecast to turn north and potentially threaten Bermuda, conditions changed and Frances's predicted track shifted westward toward the Bahamas."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Frances

And who could forget Hurricane Jeanne. No one was willing to predict where that would go until the very last minute.

Edit: Almost forgot Charley - forecast to hit the Tampa area, but took a sudden jog to the east and hit Ft. Myers/Sanibel.

[geomon666]

49. Sure...here it is.

The predicted landfalls are very close. These storms do not deviate drastically from forecast models. That's why more than one is used, to make the best guess (cause that's what it is) as to where landfall occurs and it changes by the minute.

[pitohui]

42. these models are not in agreement, it's so frustrating

impossible to make good decisions based on this quality of forecast

you cannot pack up & panic every time a storm might hit "somewhere" in the northern gulf of mexico

i'm from the new orleans area, i remember v. well how little time we had to pack up & get out because the models did not converge quickly enough

i'm not saying the weather service screwed up, they did the best they could considering the weird behavior of this storm, but fact remains they did not give us the ideal amt of advance notice most plans assume (72 hrs)

until it actually made landfall most of us were worried abt having to evac to the east, because the storm appeared would go east

as it was, i was actually evac'd into the storm track & forced to move again by local police in miss.

[sexybomber]

46. The endpoints of those tracks cover a 400 mile span.

The ones for Rita are all pretty much in agreement. I'm guessing they're going to be more or less accurate. We shall see, though.

[ClintonTyree]

10. Board up....

I wouldn't think you'd have much of a problem in Miami, but it's good to take precautions. Best of luck to you and keep watching this thing like a hawk. They seem to be doing some crazy shit this year. The text books are going to have to be re-written after this year. Stay safe!

[RagingInMiami]

11. We didn't board up for Katrina

And she hit is much harder than we expected. A lot of trees went through windows. I was without power for five days. Eighty percent of the county was without power at some point after the storm. Eleven people died.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

[Blue_In_AK]

38. Oh, Raging -- not AGAIN....

My thoughts are with you. I hope this thing fizzles out and misses everybody.

[ClintonTyree]

7. This doesn't look good.........

it's tracking more to the northwest than originally projected and could track even further northward. Rita, stay the hell away from New Orleans. You and you sister Katrina are a couple of real bitches, you know that? No one on the Gulf Coast needs this shit right now.

[Village Idiot]

14. It's almost the same size as Rita MacNeil!!!

[Horse with no Name]

19. Worst case scenario

Watch out if the computer models start showing this thing going north-northeast---Beaumont/Port Arthur sit about halfway between projected point and Louisiana. When I lived down there, we were always told if a hurricane toppled High Island, we were in a world of hurt.


http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:8lQ-bci-DBoJ:www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm%3Fnewsid%3D15154049%26BRD%3D2287%26PAG%3D461%26dept_id%3D512588%26rfi%3D6+%22port+arthur%22%22sea+level%22%22hurricane%22&hl=en&client=firefox-a

>>>>>>>>snip
With some significant alterations, those scenes could come from Southeast Texas if a similar hurricane strikes here, said Lew Fincher, vice president of Hurricane Consultants Inc.

>>>>>>>>>snip
Here, a surge such as Katrina's could flood parts of southern Jefferson County in water up to 24 to 25 feet above sea level, Fincher said. From Sabine Pass and Port Arthur to Port Neches and Nederland, the elevation rises from a foot above sea level to about 23 feet.

>>>>>>>snip
"Life would cease to exist as we know it. The landscape would be completely different," said John Lee, planning coordinator for the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management.

[Justyce]

21. That's where I live -- right smack in the

middle of Beaumont & Port Arthur... I started doing a little minor preparation last night but will put a little more effort into getting ready tonight to fly just in case. More so than the storm surge even, if the refineries are damaged & leaking chemicals, who knows when we'd be able to come back... :(

[Horse with no Name]

23. One of the models shows it hitting

I'd speed up the preparations.:scared:

[Justyce]

28. This is scary... the last

hurricane at least convinced my parents to evacuate if it looks like a bad one coming right at us -- before that, they said no way would they leave, never had before, etc., but after seeing what happened to all those who said that in New Orleans, they have finally changed their thinking -- thank goodness!!

I'm going to kick the packing into high gear when I get off of work - making a list now of things to bring just in case... hard to decide which things you don't mind possibly walking away from forever.

[Saphire]

32. wow...that's where I'm from...Groves

[Justyce]

35. Hi! I'm in PN

If we have to go, I'm definitely going to leave early before the traffic jams like last time...

[HereSince1628]

24. It would also put out of action more oil refineries.

[Horse with no Name]

27. Perhaps this is Mother Nature's way of getting back

to the land being raped for oil...she will decimate the areas with the highest oil production.
Personally, I think that Mother Nature would be less likely to wreak her wrath on someone with an immoral lifestyle than she would to an area that was tearing up her environment.:evilgrin:

[pitohui]

43. you should be ashamed to leave such a post

when you don't eat food transported up the mississippi or put gas in your car or heat yr home

come back & tell us how immoral we are for doing the hard dirty work of this nation in the northern gulf of mexico

[Horse with no Name]

44. I'm not ashamed

If you can't see the sarcasm intended, then you need to lighten up.
Haven't you heard the fundies screaming that the reason it hit NO was because of the immoral lifestyles?
If there is a "higher power" of reason, then I submit that it is just as likely because of the damage to the environment that has been inflicted in those areas by the oil companies.

[gulfcoastliberal]

26. Free Satellite Pics! (till Ricky Santorum makes you pay for them at WU)

[Individualist]

31. Does anyone know current Gulf water temperatures

and how they compare to temps when Katrina moved into the Gulf?

[highplainsdem]

33. Not sure about the Gulf, but heard this morning that it's 89 degrees

(water surface temp) where Rita is now.

[geomon666]

34. Here you go. They look to be the same.

Katrina:




Rita:

[Geo55]

36. If Rita reaches it's potential

Think about it....89-90 degree gulf water....we've been here before.
If it doesn't bust us as a nation.....surely it may wake the "majority" as to how vulnerable we are...."homeland security , indeed.........maybe it'll hit rich folks in the gulf ...(not that I wish that on ANYONE , ....but maybe...after Katrina , it will show where the power lies.

[theHandpuppet]

45. A few suggestions for preparations for those staying put

1. Get yourself a couple of sturdy (new) trash cans with lids; metal preferable but heavy-duty plastic will do. (At least 20 gal cans) Line them with large yard bags and fill each one with potable water. Replace lid. If you hook up a short garden hose directly to your faucet this can be done in a relatively short time.

2. Stock up on plastic trash bags and plastic bins and store as much as you can in water-tight containers. That includes things such as clothes, first aid kits, batteries, important papers, family heirlooms.

3. If you have kids, make sure you write their name, addy, your name and phone in indelible marker somewhere on their clothing -- just in case you get separated.

4. Stock up on NON-PERISHABLE foods. Powdered or canned milk, granola bars, canned pastas and meats, dried fruits, that sort of thing. Store in plastic bins.

5. Make sure you have an ample supply of prescription medicines.

6. If you don't have a cat/dog carrier, get one! Write your info in marker on the carrier, including the name/phone of your vet. Make sure your pet has its collar and tags.

7. If you live near a sporting/hunting supply store, see if you can get a crank-operated lantern and radio.

[sexybomber]

47. What do you want to bet...

that Smirk makes DAMN sure all of his cronies are out of Texas before that sucker hits...

I hope it wipes out his ranch.

[phusion]

48. Holy crap...

This really sucks. This nation is already on its knees financially. If this turns into another whopper and hits a major city, it could really hurt.

And what about Hurricane Phillippe?

damn.