Hurricane Rita Wobbles More North

[ECH1969]

Hurricane Rita has made a slight wobble which if the movement continued would push the major storm into central Gulf more east than the anticipated Texas border. The Hurricane is currently almost due South of Pensacola Florida, moving away from the Florida mainland.

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=5065
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What does this mean?

[SteppingRazor]

1. Probably very little...

These wobbling movements are common in hurricanes. It may wobble a little north, but then it'll wobble a little west. Averaged out over time, it will go in the general direction it's predicted.

[QC]

3. Good answer--some people try to start stampedes by hysterically

pointing to wobbles, as another thread is doing. That's not a good thing--there's already enough to be scared of right now.

[jedicord]

12. "There's enough to be scared of right now."

Thanks for that. I got so worked up from DU doomers this morning I nearly called my doctor to get me some anti-anxiety medicine.

Those of us in the path of the storm need to stay sane and make good choices, not spiral into a panic and screw up.

I'm just south of Conroe, my family from the coast is on their way, and it still isn't decided whether or not we should move further north. It will take forever for them to get here (45N is a parking lot), can't get them on their cell phone, and it's real easy to go stir crazy.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. There are some pretty big highs

coming down that will keep the storm on track.

[Brotherjohn]

8. These wobbles are especially common with very strong hurricanes. nt

[Bucky]

2. Straight at New Orleans. If this pans out, God's pissed about something.

(on edit) Agree with poster above. This may mean nothing. But then again, it may mean something.

[longship]

4. I am not pissed. I just don't interfere.

nt

[AValdoux]

6. Good website showing previous tracks

Also show winds speeds after landfall. This show just how crazy hurricanes are to predict. Check out Jeanne. I posted this on another thread earlier.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7845030/


AValdoux

[trof]

7. Good? FANTASTIC! Thanks.

And welcome to DU.
:hi:

[SteppingRazor]

9. Yeah, Jeanne sucked...

I had to put out and take back in my backyard furniture, like three times for one storm!

But generally speaking, hurricanes tend to follow a reasonably straight, slightly sloping line, from the Atlantic near the equator, just north of South America, and then northward into the American South or Mexico. You can almost follow it like clockwork.

Hurricanes like Jeanne and Ophelia are definitely the exceptions to the rule.

[JTsc]

10. There are at least two models

that have the storm hitting the western part of Louisiana. A third computer model shows it hitting slightly west of N.O. (That's a local model used by a TV station here...which has called every landfall correctly in the two years since its inception.)

It's still way early to tell, and it will probably not be too far off the current official NHC track prediction.

[HereSince1628]

11. Lots of different model tracks at wunderground.com

click on hurricanes and follow the menu.

[whistle]

13. Meaning what exactly.....that Rita is being manipulated and could slam

...into any target along the Gulf coast? I will believe that only if Rita takes a right turn and head north now, just like Katrina did.