Rita down to 923 mb. Dropped 11 mb in 105 minutes.

[benburch]

This is a simply amazingly strong storm developing.

This WILL be Cat-5. Very close already!

[spuddonna]

1. Holy crap!

I'm hoping it hits Cat5 and starts to lose energy, but I'm not holding my breath... :(

[benburch]

3. The opposite is likely.

Just my gut feeling, but this could become the most intense storm ever recorded.

[warrens]

8. Gee. and it's headed right for DeLay country

What a pity.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. I wonder if his refugees will think it's "fun"

[tiptoe]

15. Check out the Advisory #16 for Wind Speed: cat 5 forecast probabilities

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4835572#4838562

( http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4835572#4835572 )

[meganmonkey]

26. I REALLY hope you're wrong about this one

Nothing personal ;)

But you were on the mark about Katrina, and took quite a beating for it...

[benburch]

39. I have never wanted to be wrong more in my life.

:(

[Vinca]

2. Time to go fill up the car before the next boost in gas prices. nt

[Geoff R. Casavant]

32. I just filled up in Houston

Had to pass by two gas stations that had already run out. But I was exceptionally pleased that no gas stations around here are boosting their prices -- they sell it at the usual price, and when it's gone, it's gone.

[Mutley]

47. I just heard on a local radio show that prices are expected to go up to

an average of $5/gal after Rita hits.

[Skip Intro]

4. sheesh

it was 980-something when I left for work this mroning

[benburch]

5. This is simply amazing.

And there is plenty of warm water to feed on.

[leftchick]

21. hot water

88 degrees is hot.

[Rainscents]

6. What was MB on Katrina before it hit the land? I forgot.

[Mutley]

49. Crazy low, I think around 908mb.

[maine_raptor]

7. Wasn't it 928 a while back

But then someone said that the recon plane's equipent was off and it was 934.

If the equipment was right all along, then it could be 917 by now!!!!

This is one MF of a storm. Don't take chances, in you are in the projected zone,GET OUT NOW!!!!!!!

[benburch]

38. Dropsonde said 928.

Aircraft recorded 934. This reading was second aircraft pass.

[maine_raptor]

45. So the dropsonde could be right and the aircraft could be wrong

Whatever, this thing is growing in strength and fast too.

Bad Ju-Ju, very bad ju-ju!!

[benburch]

51. Aircraft are more likely to be right.

But yes, either way this is crazy.

[maine_raptor]

53. And how many more hours will it be over open warm water?

If it slows down and soaks up some of that heat (energy), this could be the first Cat 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[benburch]

59. Scale only runs to 5.

But maybe it will need revision.

[maine_raptor]

60. Yea, that's what I'm thinking

[1932]

9. It's interesting that the oil states are getting hit by storms cooked in

the global warming that it so closely connected to the profits they've enjoyed.

[Justyce]

34. I highly doubt very many of the

citizens are actually oil tycoons who have actually enjoyed those profits. As far as that line of thinking, then citizens of states like Michigan that manufacturer automobiles would be in the same category... These are all just *people* (well, except for the CEOs of these companies... ;)

[1932]

40. I'm not saying anyone deserves it.

But New Orleans and Texas are states with large oil industries.

I don't think Alaska will be hit with a Typhoon, but they're seeing the snow melt.

The only think I'm commenting on is the zero-sumness of it all. You make a lot of money poluting the environment, and then you spend a lot of money suffering the repercussions.

I'm not so crazy to think, however, that the people who made all the money are the people suffering. The rich never get hurt. They're passing the costs on to people who never benefitted in the first place. The citizens of those states are losing two and three times. They were impoverished by governments which served the oil companies, they lost their jobs and property, and they and their children, no doubt, will pay the costs of all this.

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. not quite WE will pay the costs of this

[1932]

50. Yes. The rich and powerful (who made money from oil industry)

never pay. The people pay twice and three times.

While people like Bush were getting rich (and buying off politicians), it was the rest of us who got saddled with bad governments in TX and nationally, and bad politics, and global warming, and its consequences.

It's just interesting that the first place this storms are hitting are the places where all this started -- oil states.

I made this same point, but in a much abriged form, here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4835385#4839041

[Marnieworld]

10. Stupid Question: What's mb?

My geeky nature reads that as megabytes which of course is nonsense in hurricane land. So help me out here.

[phantom power]

14. millibars (of mercury). "normal" atmosphere at sea level is ~1000mb

[Dudley_DUright]

16. millibar

http://www.csgnetwork.com/meteorologyconvtbl.html

[Mr_Spock]

millibar

pressure.

[Vinnie From Indy]

17. MB=Millibars - It is the measure of air pressure recorded by a barometer n

[DrDebug]

18. millibar

Normal pressure is 1013.25 mb, so it's almost 10% below normal which means that the air rushes in at great speeds to make the pressure equal.

[benburch]

42. And fast moving air lowers the pressure.

It is a vicious cycle...

[dhinojosa]

19. That's a smart question....

Good for you for asking. ;)

[Marnieworld]

22. Thanks

You can't learn if you don't start at "I don't know".

[samsingh]

61. thanks for asking

[txaslftist]

11. I don't know what the hell that means. How fast and how big?

[tiptoe]

23. try here for visual and probabilities

"Cat 5" >= 155

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4835572

[hatrack]

13. Where are you getting this? Can't find squat at NHC

11 Mb in 1.5 hours? Holy shit!

[Renew Deal]

20. It's actually at 920. 150mph

ZCZC MIATCUAT3 ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
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

$$
NNNN

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCUAT3+shtml/DDHHMM.shtml

[Rainscents]

25. Do you by chance know, lowest MB pressure for Katrina?

I don't remember.

[maine_raptor]

27. 90X I think

[Rainscents]

30. Thank you!

[trotsky]

28. I thought I remember hearing it got extremely low.

Like very near 900. The 905-910 range.

[Rainscents]

31. Thank you!

[hatrack]

33. I remember 906 for some reason

Not certain, however.

[Walt Starr]

35. The official lowest pressure in Katrina was 902 mb

Source:

http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/2005/index.html

[ovidsen]

46. Lowest for Katrina was 902mb

From NHC website:

KATRINA BEGAN TO STRENGTHEN...
REACHING CATEGORY 5 STRENGTH ON 28 AUGUST ABOUT 250 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. KATRINA'S
WINDS REACHED THEIR PEAK INTENSITY OF 175 MPH WINDS AND THE
PRESSURE FELL TO 902 MB...THE FOURTH LOWEST PRESSURE ON RECORD...

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/tws/MIATWSAT_aug.shtml?

[benburch]

44. That means it dropped more.

My source was not likely to have misquoted the recon aircraft.

[Tower]

24. I hate to be so crass, but this is going to look very bad for Bush

no matter what happens.

If they respond quickly and competently, it'll highlight the difference in treatment between white Texans and black Louisianans. If they fuck up again... well... then they're just incompetent.

[garybeck]

29. OK by me

not that the storm is going to hit and cause damage... but I love a no-win situation for that bastard.

[txindy]

36. I agree with you. It's a lose-lose situation for Junior.

If he responds, then he just showcases the fact that he could have - and did NOT - respond as quickly to Katrina.

If he doesn't respond, he looks more like a poser than ever.

Lose-lose. Unfortunately, everyone on the Gulf Coast loses, too.

[Walt Starr]

41. That's why they have Governor Goodhair out doing the pre-spin spin

He's been making the rounds saying he's not making the same mistakes as local officials did in Louisiana.

:eyes:

[Mutley]

37. Wow! It was at 978mb this morning around 6:30 EST.

This thing is gaining strength fast!

[karlrschneider]

43. 5 mph below Cat 5, special update from 20 min ago

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCUAT3+shtml/211807.shtml

[Minstrel Boy]

52. "LATEST RECON INDICATES RITA IS A CAT 5 HURRICANE"

LATEST RECON INDICATES RITA IS A CAT 5 HURRICANE

The latest recon report indicated the pressure in Rita has fallen to 920 mb and the maximum flight level winds were over 175 mph. AccuWeather.com Meteorologist believe Rita has become a Cat 5 hurricane.

http://home.accuweather.com/index.asp?partner=accuweather

[Rainscents]

54. Wow, this is getting wild!

[loudsue]

56. That sucker looks like it's going to turn a little to the north to me.

Does anyone else see that little blip toward the north at the end of the satellite photo loop?

[geomon666]

57. Probably just a wobble.

Happens all the time.

[RSchewe]

55. This is starting to sound sort of like the Tour de France. At this rate..

it is going to be hors categorie (beyond category) soon.

[nadinbrzezinski]

58. Pre emtively I called my Sentaor

and told them, look FEMA ain't gonna do squat and the Feds don't care, so pass this to the Texas delegtation, go mutual aid, you willnot ge anyting done by the Feds

[benburch]

62. Current satellite picture

This is a textbook picture of an intense hurricane. In fact, I believe this will be used in textbooks. This is a nearly perfectly organized specimen. And if you are in its path, get away. PLEASE.