NWS Hurricane Update: 1030 AM CDT Fri, Sept. 23, 2005

HURRICANE RITA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1030 AM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

...LEVEE OVER TOPPED IN NEW ORLEANS ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL...
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING POSTED FOR ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD PARISHES...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI...
...TORNADO WATCH POSTED FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI...
...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE RITA CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARDS THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA COAST...
...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA INCLUDING LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND NEW ORLEANS METRO AREA...
...OUTER RAINBANDS SPREADING OVER SOUTHERN LOUISIANA...
...AREAS AFFECTED...
IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...THE FOLLOWING PARISHES
ASSUMPTION...LAFOURCHE...TERREBONNE...JEFFERSON...ORLEANS...ST TAMMANY...ST JOHN THE BAPTIST...ST CHARLES...ST BERNARD...ST JAMES...PLAQUEMINES...TANGIPAHOA...POINTE COUPEE...WEST FELICIANA...EAST FELICIANA...WEST AND EAST BATON ROUGE...ST HELENA...LIVINGSTON...IBERVILLE...ASCENSION
IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...WILKINSON COUNTY
...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF LOUISIANA EAST OF MORGAN CITY TO THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER INCLUDING METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...
WITH WINDS OF 40 MPH OR HIGHER...ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS.
AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF INTERIOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FOR THE STRONG LIKELIHOOD OF FREQUENT WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH TODAY AND THIS EVENING.
...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 10 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 91.9 WEST OR 220 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF NEW ORLEANS
RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF RITA WILL BE APPROACHING THE SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND UPPER TEXAS COASTS EARLY SATURDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 135 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. HURRICANE RITA IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PERSONS LIVING IN LOW LYING AREAS NEAR DAMAGED LEVEES...BAYOUS AND COASTAL AREAS PRONE TO STORM SURGE FLOODING SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER ELEVATIONS FURTHER INLAND NOW. MANY PARISHES IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA HAVE EVACUATIONS ORDERS FOR FOR LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS IN PROGRESS AT THIS TIME. RESIDENTS SHOULD LISTEN TO MEDIA FOR EVACUATION INFORMATION AND FOLLOW EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS.
ALSO PERSONS LIVING IN UNSECURED MOBILE HOMES...TRAILERS...TENTS OR HOMES STRUCTURALLY WEAKENED BY RECENT HURRICANES...SHOULD ALSO MAKE PLANS TO MOVE TO MORE SECURE STRUCTURES DUE TO TROPICAL STORM WIND GUSTS.
...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL LEVEE BETWEEN CLAIBORNE AND FLORIDA AVENUE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS BEEN OVER TOPPED BY STORM SURGE AS SEEN ON TELEVISION VIDEO. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN POSTED FOR ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD PARISHES WHICH COULD BE INUNDATED WITH 3 TO 8 FEET OF WATER. ONSHORE FLOW HAS FILLED DRAINAGE CANALS AND BAYOUS WHICH IN SOME CASES REMAIN CLOGGED WITH DEBRIS LEFT OVER FROM HURRICANE KATRINA.
TIDES ARE 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL THIS MORNING. AS RITA MOVES FURTHER INTO THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO... EAST WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE SOUTHEAST AND TIDES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ALONG THE COAST. TIDES ALONG THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI COAST WILL INCREASE TO 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ...AND 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LATER TODAY AND THROUGH SATURDAY AS WINDS BECOME MORE SOUTHEASTERLY. STORM TIDES OF 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL CAN BE EXPECTED IN LAKES PONTCHARTRAIN AND MAUREPAS. IN ADDITION LARGE WAVES WILL ALSO AFFECT THE IMMEDIATE COASTAL AREA AND INCREASE THE FLOOD THREAT. SINCE KATRINA...THE COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE TO COASTAL TIDAL FLOODING. IN ADDITION MANY HURRICANE PROTECTION LEVEES IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA HAVE BEEN DEGRADED FROM THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA. FLOODING OF LOW LYING ROADWAYS AND AREAS NEAR DAMAGED LEVEES...BAYOUS WILL LIKELY OCCUR AS THE TIDES INCREASE.
...WIND IMPACTS...
RITA HAS DEVELOPED INTO A LARGE HURRICANE WITH TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTENDING OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES FROM THE CENTER. AS HURRICANE RITA MOVES ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO...TROPICAL STORM WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH SPREAD INLAND FROM THE THE COASTAL AREA FROM THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WESTWARD AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. TROPICAL STORM WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH MAY SPREAD INTO METRO NEW ORLEANS AREA TODAY...MAINLY ASSOCIATED WITH SQUALLS. EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO SECURE LOOSE DEBRIS AT THIS TIME.
...RAINFALL...
OCCASIONAL SQUALLS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY AND POSSIBLY INTO SATURDAY. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY THESE SQUALLS THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF RAINFALL IS EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN PARISHES WHERE FOUR TO SIX INCHES OF RAIN COULD FALL THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. DEBRIS FROM HURRICANE KATRINA DAMAGE REMAINS IN DRAINAGE CANALS AND MAY HINDER RAINFALL RUNOFF. PUMPING STATION CAPACITY STILL REMAINS DEGRADED DUE TO HURRICANE KATRINA.

...TORNADO THREAT...
A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AS RITA NEARS THE TEXAS-LOUISIANA BORDER REGION. THIS WILL PLACE MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA IN THE FAR NORTHEASTERN QUADRANT OF RITA... WHICH IS THE PREFERRED REGIONS FOR TORNADOES TO DEVELOP IN HURRICANES.