Rita is now a CAT 5.

[Silverhair]

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/SteveGregory/show.html

As of 1:20 CDT. And a lot of hot gulf water still ahead of it. Still looks like it will hit in the Port Lavaca area.

[OhioChick]

1. Holy cow n/t

[Mutley]

2. Oh man. This sucks!

:cry:

[KyndCulture]

3. OMG it's another monster.... nt

[meganmonkey]

4. Gotta do my plug for the weather underground here...

www.wunderground.com

is an excellent source for weather info.

The folks who run it are good good people, i know for a fact that they have good politics too...

it is worth the $5 / year for no ads and faster radar.

I should start charging them commission - I do this everytime I see a link to them :)

on edit: check their blog section for up-to-minute info on major weather events like this

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/index.html?range=updated

[jim3775]

5. What we can hope for now is that it burns out...

goes through an eyewall replacement cycle and doesn't have time to fully re-strengthen before it hits land. Of course that doesn't factor in last minute wind shear and shelf waters which could also weaken it.

[Coastie for Truth]

6. Draw an arc around "Coastal Bend" from Port Arthur to Corpus Christi

and don't forget Buffalo Bayou/Houston Ship Channel. We are in for a major economic hit -- that is the "Oil Patch" and the center of gravity of the refineries.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. bingo that and the LA hit

can you say depresion? I knew you could?

by teh way I expect the coasties to do themselves proud again, now the rest of the Feds... don't get me started

[Coastie for Truth]

10. When I was active duty Coast Guard

i think I knew every refinery on the Mississippi - and on the Ship Channel -- and every seafood restaurant from Gaido's (Galveston) to San Jacinto Inn (Ship Channel).

[SaveAmerica]

37. How do we find out who the heroes of the New Orleans recovery

were? As we watched in horror as FEMA fumbled I was riveted to WDSU and the never ending rooftop rescues. How do I send a letter of appreciation to the Coast Guard? Is there one base they stay at or are there different groups for each state? Thanks for your help.

[Coastie for Truth]

39. Best Address

Coast Guard Air Station - New Orleans
Belle Chase, LA

alto they had crews in from all over - Seattle to Boston.

[SaveAmerica]

40. Thank you!!

[VaYallaDawg]

8. Let's keep our fingers crossed

candles lit, and whatever else we can do for those folks in the Gulf coast areas. This is hell!

[Silverhair]

9. Rita is so big that if it hits P.L., it will cover the entire Texas

coast from Mexico to Louisiana. Of course, not all of that will be hurricane force winds.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. no but the damage will cover two

countries and three states this time... wow

[loudsue]

12. It looks like there's another one forming in the east

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/watl-vis-loop.html

:kick:

[Bryn]

16. Better Not Be!

I just ducked Rita near upper keys after Katrina got me.

[mshasta]

20. I know...looks very strange...

:scared:

[SoCalDem]

24. That one looks like the same place Philippe started

so maybe it will head north too.:fingers crossed:

[theHandpuppet]

32. That is Philippe -- NOT A THREAT

Please don't frighten people unnecessarily. The info on Philippe has been out for over a week -- now downgraded to a TS and was never expected to strike land -- only of concern to shipping interests.

[Silverhair]

38. That's Hurricane Philippe. It is going North and dying. NT

[ProdigalJunkMail]

13. the NHC doesn't agree...but they will soon

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

This was as of the 1415 update...it is going to suck no matter what...unless there is a miracle...

subjectProdigal

[ProdigalJunkMail]

14. am I nuts or does this satellite loop show a disturbing

turn to the north???

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/float-vis-loop.html

you'll need Java...

subjectProdigal

[kysrsoze]

15. I was just going to post on that. Yes, it just turned northward.

It's clearer on this link:

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/watl-vis-loop.html

[SoCalDem]

28. They do wobble a bit.. The general trend is west

and as long as the high holds together in the southeast, it should stay south and headed west :( :)

[kysrsoze]

29. Yeah, you're right. Hard to tell such little history. We'll see in a few

hours. I know what you mean though - happy or sad about wherever it goes?

[theHandpuppet]

33. Looks like a slight NW jog

Bad news for Houston.

[Jawja]

17. I'm glad to see that someone

else caught that. Looks like a slight slide to the North to me, too.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

18. not to wish this demon on anyone...

but let's hope that's just a wobble...NO CANNOT handle another one of these things...

subjectProdigal

[shireen]

21. OMG! You can see how hurricane is growing in that time lapse! DAMN! n/t

[Bryn]

22. Wow!! Rita looks so well formed and HUGE!!

MY GOODNESS!! I just ducked her big bullet near the Upper Keys in Florida. I am going to check out Hurricane City Message board and see what they're discussing.

[prole_for_peace]

25. maybe if i stand outside and blow hard enough

it will stay the hell away from here. :hide:

[prole_for_peace]

26. dupe

[Zynx]

30. Yeah. It did turn to the north a little bit.

[QC]

47. Be cool--it's just a wobble.

Watch the storm for the next couple of days and you'll see lots of little wobbles like that.

[tblue37]

19. Is Angleton, Texas, in the path of the storm?

It is about an hour south of Hosuton, much closer to the water. My brother lives there.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

23. right now it is still up in the air where it will hit...

but most of the Texas coastal areas are in danger...

subjectProdigal

[tblue37]

48. I spoke to my brother this afternoon. He is actually going to evacuate.

He has friends in Austin who have invited him to stay with them until everything is clear down there. Whew. I think Katrina has made a lot of people less willing to take a chance with these monster storms.

[tblue37]

27. Never mind--I just found my atlas.

It is about 80 mi. east and 40 mi. north of Port La Vaca. I hope he will head north, but he probably won't. Too macho.

Damn.

[Bryn]

31. Rita Looks just like Hurricane Andrew in 1992

http://members.boardhost.com/hurricanecity/

You can visit their message board and take a look at photos. Yes, Rita is turning a little North. Hope it's just a wobble.

[spinbaby]

34. Such a feeling of deja vu

Another perfectly-formed monster hurricane in the gulf. Again we watch a disaster unfolding in slow motion before our eyes and there's nothing we can do to stop it.

[theHandpuppet]

35. Sustained Winds Now at 165 MPH!!!

According to the Weather Channel.

HOLY SHIT!!

[halobeam]

36. I can NOT believe what I am looking at.

Eye wall recycling may be it's only chance to weaken to a four along with a slight shear variance right before landfall, hopefully bringing it down to a strong three. THAT is our best bet.

Oh, and the northern turn, being a wobble.

Let's hope, and I'm lighting a candle right now.

[progressivebydesign]

41. I'm not hurricane-literate. How far inland do these things normally travel

Do they dissipate once they reach land? What are the effects for other parts of Texas? Houston? Are they going to reevacuate the evacuees who are stuck in Houston? Makes me pissed that the govt refused to evacuate them out of Texas, when all of the states had places for the evacuees all ready for them. Now what? Texas gets smacked and we have Katrina redux because so many people are in shelters and the Astrodome there?

[Silverhair]

45. Actually, many have been relocated to other states, and to...

other areas of Texas. However, many are still in Houston.

Astrodome should be OK. There are no levees in Houston to worry about, and it seems to be aiming for Port Lavaca - Freeport area, abut 100 miles away.

Usually, hurricane decay very rapidly after they hit land. However, this one may remain hurricane strength CAT 1 until over 100 miles inland.

[spacelady]

42. Does Rita seem like it's starting its northerly turn? The weather

forecasters still have it as moving west. But when I look at one of those storm maps in motion and place the cursor on the eye at the beginning, Rita appears to be moving WNW & if that's the case, NO could be in real trouble again.

[Silverhair]

46. The eye of a storm tends to wobble.

They base their forecasts on steering currents and locations of high and low pressure zones.

[jim3775]

49. I doubt it, the high pressure over the plains is keeping it from turning N

I suppose could edge WNW slightly. My prediction is for a hit on Galveston. I hope I'm wrong.

[dicknbush]

43. THIS CAN ONLY MEAN ONE THING.......

GOD WANTS GEORGE TO GET OUT OF IRAQ AND HE IS GOING TO CONTINUE PUNISHING US UNTIL HE DOES! IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT THEN SAYING GOD WANTED TO PURIFY NOLA BECAUSE OF THE CITIES PROCLIVITIES?

[Silverhair]

44. Forecast shows shows still CAT 1 strength when N of Austin.

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200518.html

All computer models have converged on the Port Lavaca area.