[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KCRP 220400
HLSCRP
GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ231>234-241>247-220900-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1100 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005

...CATEGORY FIVE RITA CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN...

...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 10 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 24.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 87.2 WEST...OR ABOUT 670 MILES EAST-
SOUTHEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI.

.MOVEMENT...
HURRICANE RITA WAS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 9 MPH. THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. RITA IS
EXPECTED TO MAKE A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTHWEST LATE THURSDAY.

.INTENSITY...
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 175 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

IN ADDITION...MANDATORY EVACUATIONS HAVE BEEN DECLARED FOR ALL
COASTAL COUNTIES BETWEEN BAFFIN BAY AND PORT O'CONNOR. THE COUNTIES
ARE...CALHOUN...REFUGIO...ARANSAS...SAN PATRICIO...NUECES...AND
KLEBERG. THE CITY MANAGER OF CORPUS CHRISTI WOULD LIKE FOR THE CITY
TO BE EVACUATED BY FRIDAY AT NOON.

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

FOR LIVE OAK COUNTY...VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS ARE IN EFFECT.

ALL RESIDENTS ALONG 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.

CLASSES HAVE BEEN CANCELED FOR TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI...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 THE TIME OF 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.

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...
BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF RITA...TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST BY MID MORNING
FRIDAY. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE TO HURRICANE FORCE BY FRIDAY
NIGHT...PRIMARILY NORTH OF PORT ARANSAS.

THE NEXT HURRICANE STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 400 AM CDT
THURSDAY MORNING.

$$

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