[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KCRP 212319
HLSCRP
GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ231>234-241>247-220400-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
609 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS RITA NOW A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE...

...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF CALHOUN...NUECES...SAN
PATRICIO...ARANSAS...REFUGIO...GOLIAD...VICTORIA...LIVE OAK...JIM
WELLS AND KLEBERG COUNTIES...

...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE TEXAS COAST FROM PORT
MANSFIELD TO SABINE PASS INCLUDING ALL OF THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST
FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. THE HURRICANE WATCH IS IN
EFFECT FOR KLEBERG...NUECES...SAN PATRICIO...ARANSAS...REFUGIO
AND CALHOUN COUNTIES.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE
COASTAL BEND AND MID COAST REGION THURSDAY.

...STORM INFORMATION...

.LOCATION...
AT 4 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
24.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 86.8 WEST...OR ABOUT 700 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST
OF CORPUS CHRISTI.

.MOVEMENT...
HURRICANE RITA WAS MOVING WEST AT 13 MPH. THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED
TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. RITA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A GRADUAL
TURN TO THE NORTHWEST AFTER THURSDAY EVENING.

.INTENSITY...
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 165 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. RITA IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE. SOME
FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.


...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.EVACUATION INFORMATION...

UPDATED FOR ADDITIONAL EVACUATION INFORMATION

FOR NUECES COUNTY...THE MAYOR OF PORT ARANSAS HAS DECLARED A
MANDATORY EVACUATION OF PORT ARANSAS WITH RESIDENTS EXPECTED
TO BE EVACUATED BY NOON THURSDAY. THE MAYOR OF CORPUS CHRISTI
HAS ISSUED A MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR ALL OF CORPUS CHRISTI. THIS
INCLUDES FLOUR BLUFF...MUSTANG ISLAND...NORTH PADRE ISLAND AND CORPUS
CHRISTI BEACH.

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS HAVE BEEN DECLARED FOR THE COUNTIES OF
SAN PATRICIO...CALHOUN...REFUGIO...ARANSAS AND KLEBERG. THE PADRE
ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE PARK WILL BE CLOSED ON THURSDAY.

FOR GOLIAD COUNTY...VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS ARE IN PLACE FOR THE
COUNTY. A MANDATORY EVACUATION WILL BE DECLARED AT 10 AM
THURSDAY MORNING.

ALL RESIDENTS OF THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST SHOULD BE IN THE
PROCESS OF COMPLETING THEIR PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS TO PROTECT
LIFE AND PROPERTY.

.SCHOOL AND GOVERNMENT CLOSINGS...

ALL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
HAVE CANCELED CLASSES FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...NUECES...SAN
PATRICIO...REFUGIO...ARANSAS...CALHOUN AND VICTORIA. GOLIAD
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL HAVE CLASSES UNTIL 1130 AM
THURSDAY AND BE CLOSED ON FRIDAY.

TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI HAS CANCELED CLASSES FOR THURSDAY
AND FRIDAY WITH STUDENTS BEING EVACUATED TO TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL
IN LAREDO. CLASSES HAVE BEEN CANCELED FROM THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY
FOR DEL MAR COLLEGE...COASTAL BEND COLLEGE...VICTORIA COLLEGE AND
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON IN VICTORIA.

THE COMMANDER OF NAVY REGION SOUTH HAS ORDERED EVACUATION OF
NAVAL STATION INGLESIDE AND NAVAL AIR STATIONS CORPUS CHRISTI AND
KINGSVILLE.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY NEAR NORMAL ALONG THE MIDDLE TEXAS
COAST. HIGH SWELLS FROM HURRICANE RITA WILL AFFECT THE COAST BY
THURSDAY. TIDE LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 3 FEET ABOVE
MEAN SEA LEVEL ALONG AREA BEACHES NEAR ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDE
BY LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THIS WILL CAUSE WATER
TO FLOOD BEACHES AND BEACH ACCESS ROADS. IN ADDITION...HIGH SWELLS
WILL PRODUCE A GREATER RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ALONG AREA
BEACHES AND SWIMMING IS NOT RECOMMENDED AFTER TONIGHT.

MORE SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING IS EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT AND
SATURDAY MORNING AS WATER LEVELS CONTINUE TO RISE WITH THE
APPROACH OF HURRICANE RITA.

...WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE MIDDLE TEXAS
COAST FRIDAY MORNING. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE TO HURRICANE
FORCE BY FRIDAY EVENING.

THE NEXT HURRICANE STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 10 PM.

$$

TMT/TE

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