[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KHGX 230455
HLSHGX
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-
227-235>238-231030-

TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1150 PM CDT THU SEP 22 2005

...RITA STILL A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE AND CONTINUES TO REMAIN A
THREAT FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

...HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST...

...INLAND HURRICANE WARNING FOR COASTAL COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...

...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE WESTERN COUNTIES OF
SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS...

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

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

INLAND HURRICANE WARNING FOR COASTAL PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE WESTERN COUNTIES OF
SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS...

...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION...

.LOCATION...
AT 10 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 26.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 90.3 WEST...OR ABOUT 350 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON TEXAS.

.MOVEMENT...
HURRICANE RITA WAS MOVING WEST-NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN
TOWARD THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS
TRACK...THE CORE OF RITA WILL BE APPROACHING THE SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
AND THE UPPER TEXAS COASTS LATE FRIDAY.

.INTENSITY...
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 140 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
RITA IS A EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-
SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE
NEXT 24 HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.EVACUATION INFORMATION...
EVACUATIONS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER WAY. EVACUATIONS SHOULD BE COMPLETE
BY NOON FRIDAY AS TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD
ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS FRIDAY.


...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING 1 FOOT OF NORMAL ALONG THE
UPPER TEXAS COAST.  TIDE LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY BEGIN
RISING TODAY AS SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE RITA BEGIN
PROPAGATING ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS.  THIS POTENTIAL WATER LEVEL
RISE COUPLED WITH THE HIGH TIDE CYCLE TONIGHT MAY RESULT IN MINOR
COASTAL FLOODING ACROSS THE LOWEST AREAS ALONG THE COAST AND
ADJACENT TO THE BAYS. AS HURRICANE RITA MOVES INLAND...WATER LEVELS
COULD RISE TO NEAR 7 FEET IN SOME LOCATIONS...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE
EASTERN END OF GALVESTON BAY SATURDAY.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE HIGH TIDE TIMES FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...AS
WELL AS THE PREDICTED WATER LEVELS.

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

PLEASURE PIER     1223 AM CDT SAT         5.5 FEET

PORT BOLIVAR       211 AM CDT SAT         6.8 FEET

GALVESTON CHANNEL  157 AM CDT SAT         6.8 FEET

SAN LUIS PASS      148 AM CDT SAT         4.0 FEET

JAMAICA BEACH      435 AM CDT SAT         5.3 FEET

MORGANS POINT     1218 PM CDT SAT        -4.3 FEET

EAGLE POINT        551 AM CDT SAT         2.1 FEET

FREEPORT           113 AM CDT SAT         2.0 FEET

CLEAR LAKE         802 AM CDT SAT        -4.6 FEET

...WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS...39 MPH OR GREATER...ARE EXPECTED TO
REACH THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AROUND NOON FRIDAY AND SPREAD INLAND
TO THE INTERSTATE 10 CORRIDOR BY LATE AFTERNOON.  THE TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO PUSH NORTHWARD ACROSS THE REMAINDER
OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS BY AROUND MIDNIGHT.

THE ONSET OF HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED AT THE COAST LATE
FRIDAY EVENING. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD
INLAND ACROSS THE EASTERN 1/4 PORTION OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...GENERALLY
EAST OF INTERSTATE 45...THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF FRIDAY NIGHT AND
INTO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. ASSUMING THE RITA FOLLOWS THE FORECAST
TRACK
...LISTED BELOW ARE ESTIMATED WINDS SELECTED COUNTIES CAN EXPECT.
KEEP IN MIND THEY WILL BE HIGHER TO THE EAST AND NOT AS STRONG
TOWARD MATAGORDA BAY:

COUNTY      SUSTAINED WINDS (MPH)   PEAK GUST (MPH)
------      ---------------------   ---------------
CHAMBERS         100                    125
POLK              95                    120
LIBERTY           85                    110
GALVESTON         75                     90
SAN JACINTO       70                     85
HARRIS            65                     80
TRINITY           65                     80
MONTGOMERY        60                     75
BRAZORIA          60                     75
FORT BEND         55                     70
HOUSTON           55                     70
WHARTON           45                     55
MATAGORDA         45                     55
BRAZOS            40                     50

AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE EASTERN REGION
OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...OR EAST OF INTERSTATE 45. THIS MEANS SUSTAINED
WINDS GREATER THAN 74 MPH ARE IMMINENT OVER THIS AREA.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN REGION
OF SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS...OR WEST OF INTERSTATE 45. THIS MEANS THAT
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 39 MPH ARE IMMINENT ACROSS THIS AREA.

VERY DANGEROUS WINDS WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE.  DESTRUCTION OF
MOBILE HOMES ARE LIKELY!

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...
THOSE OF US WHO HAVE NEVER LIVED THROUGH A HURRICANE SHOULD CONSIDER
THE FOLLOWING TAKEN IN PART FROM THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE TABLE.

WITH WINDS OF...

    74 TO 95 MPH - DAMAGE TO UNANCHORED MOBILE HOMES...SHRUBBERY AND
                   TREES. NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS.

   96 TO 110 MPH - ROOFING...DOOR AND WINDOW DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS.

  111 TO 130 MPH - SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO SMALL RESIDENCES AND
                   UTILITY BUILDINGS WITH MINOR AMOUNT OF WALL
                   FAILURES. MOBILE HOMES ARE DESTROYED.

  131 TO 155 MPH - MORE EXTENSIVE CURTAINMENT WALL FAILURES...WITH
                   SOME COMPLETE ROOF STRUCTURE FAILURES ON
                   RESIDENCES.

    OVER 155 MPH - COMPLETE ROOF FAILURE ON MANY RESIDENCES AND
                   INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS. SOME COMPLETE BUILDING
                   FAILURES.

THE ABOVE INFORMATION DOES NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION DAMAGE OR
LOSSES TO MARINAS AND BOATS AT ANCHOR OR AFLOAT ON OPEN WATERS...
NOR ARE WIND DRIVEN TIDES CONSIDERED.

NATURAL DAMAGE...
ALL TREES WITH ROTTING BASES MAY UPROOT OR SNAP.  NEARLY ALL LARGE
BRANCHES SHOULD SNAP. BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND ONE HALF OF HEALTHY
SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED TREES MAY BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED.

...RAINFALL...
RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM 15
INCH TOTALS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE PATH OF RITA OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS
AS IT MOVES INLAND. BASED ON THE FORECAST TRACK...TOTALS
ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF 25 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS AS THE SYSTEM SLOWS DOWN.

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

THE NEXT HURRICANE RITA STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 5 AM CDT.

$$
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