[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KHGX 211714
HLSHGX
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ200-213-214-226-227-235>238-212130-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1215 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005

...RITA A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE WITH WINDS NEAR 140 MPH...
...COASTAL FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST...

...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF...GALVESTON...
JACKSON...MATAGORDA...FORT BEND...WHARTON...HARRIS...BRAZORIA...
LIBERTY AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES...

...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST FOR
THURSDAY NIGHT.

...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION...

.LOCATION...
AT 10 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 24.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 85.9 WEST...OR ABOUT 675 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF FREEPORT TEXAS.

.MOVEMENT...
HURRICANE RITA WAS MOVING WEST AT 13 MPH. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

.INTENSITY...
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 140 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
RITA IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY 4 AND COULD BECOME A CATEGORY 5
HURRICANE WHILE OVER THE CENTRAL GULF LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.EVACUATION INFORMATION...
FOR JACKSON COUNTY...
MANDATORY EVACUATION HAS BEEN DECLARED FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY.

FOR MATAGORDA COUNTY...
MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE COUNTY WILL
BE IN EFFECT AT 6 PM.

FOR GALVESTON AND BRAZORIA COUNTIES...VOLUNTARY EVACUATION IS IN
PROGRESS.  MANDATORY EVACUATION OF NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED-LIVING
FACILITIES IS UNDERWAY.  ON GALVESTON ISLAND... BUSES WILL BE
AVAILABLE AT THE ISLAND COMMUNITY CENTER ON BROADWAY AFTER 10 AM FOR
PERSONS WITH NO OTHER MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. IF THERE IS NO
SIGNIFICANT CHANGE OF RITA'S TRACK IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS...A
MANDATORY EVACUATION OF GALVESTON AND BRAZORIA COUNTIES IS EXPECTED
TO BEGIN AT 6 PM TODAY.

VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS ARE ALSO IN PROGRESS THIS EVENING FOR LOW
LYING AREAS OF CHAMBERS COUNTY... HARRIS COUNTY... AND THE CITIES
OF HOUSTON...SEABROOK AND BAYTOWN

DECISIONS CONCERNING EVACUATIONS FOR OTHER COUNTIES AND COMMUNITIES
WILL BE MADE LATER TODAY.

.SCHOOL...GOVERNMENT...AND HOSPITAL FACILITY CLOSINGS...
MOST INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN GALVESTON...BRAZORIA...AND
SOUTHERN HARRIS COUNTIES WILL BE CLOSED. IN ADDITION...ALL SCHOOLS
IN THE SAN JACINTO COLLEGE DISTRICT AND BRAZOSPORT COLLEGE WILL BE
CLOSED. GALVESTON COUNTY GOVERNMENT FACILITIES WILL ALSO BE
CLOSED TODAY. THE JAMAICA BEACH OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILL
BE CLOSED.

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH (UTMB) IN GALVESTON WILL BE
CLOSED. NO MEDICAL CARE WILL BE AVAILABLE AT UTMB HOSPITAL FROM THIS
POINT FORWARD.

.STORM SURGE AND TIDES...
TIDE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING NEAR NORMAL ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS
COAST. TIDE LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY BEGIN RISING ON
THURSDAY AS SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE RITA BEGIN PROPAGATING
ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS. THIS POTENTIAL WATER LEVEL RISE COUPLED
WITH THE HIGH TIDE CYCLE BEGINNING THURSDAY EVENING AND PERSISTING
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING WILL LIKELY
RESULT IN MINOR COASTAL FLOODING ACROSS THE LOWEST AREAS ALONG THE
COAST AND ADJACENT TO THE BAYS. MORE SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING IS
EXPECTED TO OCCUR AT THE SUBSEQUENT HIGH TIDE CYCLE WHICH WILL BEGIN
FRIDAY EVENING AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY MORNING.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE HIGH TIDE TIMES FOR THURSDAY EVENING AND EARLY
FRIDAY MORNING...AS WELL AS THE PREDICTED WATER LEVELS.

LOCATION          HIGH TIDE TIME     EXPECTED WATER LEVEL
                                     RELATIVE TO MEAN LOWER LOW
WATER

PLEASURE PIER      937 PM CDT THU    4.5 FEET

PORT BOLIVAR      1123 PM CDT THU    3.7 FEET

GALVESTON CHANNEL 1109 PM CDT THU    3.7 FEET

SAN LUIS PASS     1100 PM CDT THU    3.5 FEET

JAMAICA BEACH      147 AM CDT FRI    3.2 FEET

MORGANS POINT      930 AM CDT FRI    3.2 FEET

EAGLE POINT        303 AM CDT FRI    3.2 FEET

FREEPORT           949 PM CDT FRI    4.2 FEET

PORT OCONNOR       451 AM CDT FRI    3.3 FEET

CLEAR LAKE         514 AM CDT FRI    3.1 FEET

.WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH THE UPPER TEXAS
COAST UNTIL FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

.RAINFALL...
NO SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS EXPECTED ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST
THROUGH THURSDAY.

FOR MORE TROPICAL WEATHER INFORMATION...SEE THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER WEB PAGE AT HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV OR THE WEB PAGE OF THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/HGX.

THE NEXT HURRICANE RITA STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 4 PM CDT.

$$


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