Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Rita Now A Category 5
At 4 PM CDT (2100 GMT), the eye of Hurricane Rita was located near
latitude 24.4 north, longitude 86.8 west or about 600 miles
east-southeast of Galveston Texas. The storm is moving west at about 13 mph.
Rita is an extremely dangerous category five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Maximum sustained winds are near 165 mph with gusts of 200 mph. Winds exceeding 73 mph extend outward up to 70 miles from the center and winds exceeding 38 mph extend outward up to 175 miles outward. The storm's barometric pressure has been falling rapidly during the day. The latest Air Force Hurricane Hunters reconnaissance flight recorded a minimum central pressure of 914 mb or 26.99 inches; this pressure is lower than was anticipated.
A Tropical Storm watch has been issued for Louisiana from Cameron east to Grand Isle. Tides are currently running near normal along the Mississippi and Louisiana coastal areas affected by Katrina; however, tides are expected to increase up to 3 to 4 feet over the next 24 hours with large waves on top. Residents in these areas should prepare for flooding.
In Texas, a Tropical Storm watch has been issued from south of Port Mansfield to Brownsville.
A Hurricane Watch has been issued from Port Mansfield Texas to Cameron Louisiana. Residents in these areas should be preparing now to evacuate.
Read the current storm info, why to prepare & how to prepare for this disaster.
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