[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KHGX 220336
HLSHGX
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ200-213-214-226-227-235>238-221000-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1100 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005

...RITA IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE WITH
WINDS NEAR 175 MPH...

...HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN RAISED FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST...

...INLAND HURRICANE WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF...GALVESTON...
JACKSON...MATAGORDA...FORT BEND...WHARTON...HARRIS...BRAZORIA...
LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...FORT BEND...WHARTON...COLORADO...AUSTIN...
WALLER...WASHINGTON...GRIMES...MONTGOMERY...WALKER...MADISON...
BRAZOS...AND BURLESON COUNTIES.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
HURRICANE WATCH FOR ALL OF THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

INLAND HURRICANE WATCH FOR AREAS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY
59 TO THE WEST OF INTERSTATE 45.

...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION...

.LOCATION...
AT 10 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 24.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 86.8 WEST...OR ABOUT 585 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON TEXAS.

.MOVEMENT...
HURRICANE RITA WAS MOVING WEST AT 9 MPH. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

.INTENSITY...
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 175 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. RITA IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE WITH FLUCTUATIONS IN
STRENGTH EXPECTED THROUGH TOMORROW.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

FOR MATAGORDA COUNTY...
MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR EVERYONE SOUTH OF A LINE FROM HIGHWAY 35 AT
THE BRAZORIA COUNTY LINE TO MARKHAM THEN SOUTH ON HIGHWAY 2431
TO MIDFIELD AND THEN SOUTH ON HIGHWAY 111 TO THE COUNTY LINE WILL BE
IN EFFECT AT 6 PM. THIS CURRENTLY EXCLUDES BAY CITY AND VAN VLECK.


ALTHOUGH TRAFFIC HAS BEEN HEAVY WITH ALL OF THE VOLUNTARY
EVACUATIONS AS THE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN IS IMPLEMENTED AT 6 PM...
TRAFFIC MOVEMENT SHOULD ACCELERATE...SO DO NOT LET THE TRAFFIC
DELAYS HALT YOUR EFFORTS TO EVACUATE.

AS OF 6 PM...FOR HARRIS COUNTY...MANDATORY EVACUATIONS ARE IN
EFFECT FOR ZONE A. ZONES B AND C WILL HAVE MANDATORY EVACUATIONS
BEGINNING AT 6 AM TOMORROW.

AS OF 6 PM FOR GALVESTON AND BRAZORIA COUNTIES...MANDATORY EVACUATIONS
ARE IN EFFECT FOR ZONE A. ZONE B WILL HAVE A MANDATORY
EVACUATION IN EFFECT AT 2 AM TOMORROW. ZONE C WILL HAVE A MANDATORY
EVACUATION IN EFFECT AT 6 AM TOMORROW. PEARLAND OFFICE OF
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE HAS ISSUED A MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR
THOSE IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS...THOSE IN MOBILE HOMES OR OTHER NON-
STURDY STRUCTURES AND FOR THOSE WITH SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION NEEDS AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE.

LIBERTY COUNTY...
LIBERTY COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS ASKED FOR A
VOLUNTARY EVACUATION FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY. EVACUEES SHOULD TRAVEL
NORTH ON HIGHWAY 321 AND HIGHWAY 146. SPECIAL NEEDS INDIVIDUALS IN
NEED OF TRANSPORTATION SHOULD CONTACT THE SHERIFFS OFFICE.

FOR FORT BEND...
VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS IN EFFECT.

FOR WHARTON...MANDATORY EVACUATIONS BEGIN AT 6 AM.


.SCHOOL...GOVERNMENT...AND HOSPITAL FACILITY CLOSINGS...
MANY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN GALVESTON...BRAZORIA...
MATAGORDA...JACKSON...CHAMBERS AND HARRIS COUNTIES WILL BE CLOSED.

LAMAR...NEEDVILLE...AND FORT BEND INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE
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 HAS 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    4.7 FEET

PORT BOLIVAR      1123 PM CDT THU    3.9 FEET

GALVESTON CHANNEL 1109 PM CDT THU    4.4 FEET

SAN LUIS PASS     1100 PM CDT THU    3.7 FEET

JAMAICA BEACH      147 AM CDT FRI    3.9 FEET

MORGANS POINT      930 AM CDT FRI    3.5 FEET

EAGLE POINT        303 AM CDT FRI    3.4 FEET

FREEPORT           949 PM CDT FRI    4.4 FEET

PORT OCONNOR       451 AM CDT FRI    3.6 FEET

CLEAR LAKE         514 AM CDT FRI    3.5 FEET

.WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE UPPER TEXAS
COAST FRIDAY MORNING...WINDS SHOULD BE INCREASING TO NEAR 50
MPH BY EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS
SHOULD ARRIVE LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON OR EARLY FRIDAY EVENING. BASED
ON THE CURRENT FORECAST THE EYE SHOULD BE NEARING THE COAST LATE
FRIDAY NIGHT OR EARLY SATURDAY MORNING ALONG THE MATAGORDA AND
BRAZORIA SHORES. DEVIATIONS IN THE TRACK OF THE STORM COULD LEAD TO
THESE HURRICANE FORCE WINDS BE FELT ELSEWHERE ALONG THE COAST.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL SPREAD INLAND DURING THE LATE EVENING
HOURS FRIDAY NIGHT. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS SHOULD SPREAD NORTH TO NEAR
BURLESON COUNTY BY MID MORNING SATURDAY.

.RAINFALL...
8 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN...WITH LOCALIZED HIGHER AMOUNTS...IS EXPECTED
THROUGH THE DURATION OF THE EVENT.


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 5 AM CDT.

$$

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