[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KCRP 221222
HLSCRP
GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ231>234-241>247-221600-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
721 AM CDT THU SEP 22 2005

...STRONG CATEGORY FIVE RITA MAY WEAKEN SLIGHTLY TODAY...

...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 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE MIDDLE TEXAS
COAST FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. THE HURRICANE WATCH INCLUDES
KLEBERG...NUECES...SAN PATRICIO...ARANSAS...REFUGIO AND CALHOUN
COUNTIES.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BE ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE COASTAL BEND
AND MID COAST REGION TODAY.

...STORM INFORMATION...

AT 7 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
25.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 88.3 WEST...OR ABOUT 595 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST
OF CORPUS CHRISTI.

RITA CONTINUES TO MOVE WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 9 MPH. THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 170 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA
CONTINUES TO BE AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE. SOME
WEAKENING MAY BE POSSIBLE TODAY...BUT RITA IS STILL EXPECTED TO MAKE
LANDFALL AS A MAJOR HURRICANE...CATEGORY THREE OR HIGHER.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.EVACUATION INFORMATION...

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS ARE IN EFFECT FOR ALL COASTAL COUNTIES BETWEEN
BAFFIN BAY AND PORT O'CONNOR. THE COASTAL COUNTIES INCLUDED WITHIN
THE MANDATORY EVACUATION AREA 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 IS STILL EXPECTED TO BE DECLARED AT 10 AM THIS
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 TODAY 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 CONTINUE TO BE NEAR NORMAL ALONG THE MIDDLE
TEXAS COAST THIS MORNING. HIGH SWELLS FROM HURRICANE RITA ARE STILL
EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE COAST BY TONIGHT...PUSHING TIDE LEVELS
POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL ALONG AREA
BEACHES. IF THE TIDES DO REACH 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL...
THERE WILL BE FLOODING OF BEACHES AND BEACH ACCESS ROADS. IN
ADDITION...HIGH SWELLS WILL PRODUCE VERY ROUGH SURF AND A GREATER
RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ALONG AREA BEACHES. SWIMMING OR
SURFING IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.

MORE SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING MAY BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT AND
SATURDAY MORNING DEPENDING ON THE EXACT TRACK AND STRENGTH OF RITA.
IF RITA REMAINS ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE FLOODING IMPACT WILL
NOT BE AS HIGH AS PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED OVER THE TEXAS COASTAL BEND
REGION.  HOWEVER...IT IS STILL TOO SOON TO HAVE VERY HIGH CONFIDENCE
ON THE DETAILS OF COASTAL FLOODING. AREA RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO
CONTINUE MONITORING THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

...WIND IMPACTS...

BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF RITA...TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS COULD REACH THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...MAINLY
NORTH OF CORPUS CHRISTI TO PORT OCONNOR. WINDS MAY INCREASE TO
HURRICANE FORCE BY FRIDAY NIGHT...PRIMARILY NORTH AND EAST OF PORT
ARANSAS.

THE NEXT HURRICANE STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 11 AM CDT
THIS MORNING.

$$

RFM

WWWW
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