[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLIX 231526
HLSLIX
LAZ034>038-040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068-231900-

HURRICANE RITA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1030 AM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

...LEVEE OVER TOPPED IN NEW ORLEANS ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL...

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING POSTED FOR ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD PARISHES...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH
MISSISSIPPI...

...TORNADO WATCH POSTED FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH
MISSISSIPPI...

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE RITA CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARDS THE
UPPER TEXAS COAST AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA COAST...

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
INCLUDING LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND NEW ORLEANS METRO AREA...

...OUTER RAINBANDS SPREADING OVER SOUTHERN LOUISIANA...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...THE FOLLOWING PARISHES

ASSUMPTION...LAFOURCHE...TERREBONNE...JEFFERSON...ORLEANS...ST
TAMMANY...ST JOHN THE BAPTIST...ST CHARLES...ST BERNARD...ST
JAMES...PLAQUEMINES...TANGIPAHOA...POINTE COUPEE...WEST
FELICIANA...EAST FELICIANA...WEST AND EAST BATON ROUGE...ST
HELENA...LIVINGSTON...IBERVILLE...ASCENSION

IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...WILKINSON COUNTY

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF
LOUISIANA EAST OF MORGAN CITY TO THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER
INCLUDING METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...
WITH WINDS OF 40 MPH OR HIGHER...ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE WARNING
AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
INTERIOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FOR THE STRONG LIKELIHOOD OF
FREQUENT WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH TODAY AND THIS EVENING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 10 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 27.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 91.9 WEST OR 220 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHWEST OF NEW ORLEANS

RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH...AND THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS
TRACK...THE CORE OF RITA WILL BE APPROACHING THE SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
AND UPPER TEXAS COASTS EARLY SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 135 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
HURRICANE RITA IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON
THE SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PERSONS LIVING IN LOW LYING AREAS NEAR DAMAGED LEVEES...BAYOUS AND
COASTAL AREAS PRONE TO STORM SURGE FLOODING SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER
ELEVATIONS FURTHER INLAND NOW. MANY PARISHES IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
HAVE EVACUATIONS ORDERS FOR FOR LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS IN PROGRESS
AT THIS TIME. RESIDENTS SHOULD LISTEN TO MEDIA FOR EVACUATION
INFORMATION AND FOLLOW EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS.

ALSO PERSONS LIVING IN UNSECURED MOBILE HOMES...TRAILERS...TENTS OR
HOMES STRUCTURALLY WEAKENED BY RECENT HURRICANES...SHOULD ALSO MAKE
PLANS TO MOVE TO MORE SECURE STRUCTURES DUE TO TROPICAL STORM WIND
GUSTS.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL LEVEE BETWEEN CLAIBORNE AND FLORIDA AVENUE IN
NEW ORLEANS HAS BEEN OVER TOPPED BY STORM SURGE AS SEEN ON
TELEVISION VIDEO. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN POSTED FOR ORLEANS
AND ST BERNARD PARISHES WHICH COULD BE INUNDATED WITH 3 TO 8 FEET OF
WATER. ONSHORE FLOW HAS FILLED DRAINAGE CANALS AND BAYOUS WHICH IN
SOME CASES REMAIN CLOGGED WITH DEBRIS LEFT OVER FROM HURRICANE
KATRINA.

TIDES ARE 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL THIS MORNING. AS RITA MOVES
FURTHER INTO THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO... EAST WINDS WILL SHIFT TO
THE SOUTHEAST AND TIDES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ALONG THE COAST.
TIDES ALONG THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI COAST WILL
INCREASE TO 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
...AND 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LATER
TODAY AND THROUGH SATURDAY AS WINDS BECOME MORE SOUTHEASTERLY. STORM
TIDES OF 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL CAN BE EXPECTED IN LAKES
PONTCHARTRAIN AND MAUREPAS. IN ADDITION LARGE WAVES WILL ALSO AFFECT
THE IMMEDIATE COASTAL AREA AND INCREASE THE FLOOD THREAT. SINCE
KATRINA...THE COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA ARE EXTREMELY
VULNERABLE TO COASTAL TIDAL FLOODING. IN ADDITION MANY HURRICANE
PROTECTION LEVEES IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA HAVE BEEN DEGRADED FROM THE
EFFECTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA. FLOODING OF LOW LYING ROADWAYS AND
AREAS NEAR DAMAGED LEVEES...BAYOUS WILL LIKELY OCCUR AS THE TIDES
INCREASE.

...WIND IMPACTS...
RITA HAS DEVELOPED INTO A LARGE HURRICANE WITH TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS EXTENDING OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES FROM THE CENTER. AS
HURRICANE RITA MOVES ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO...TROPICAL STORM
WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH SPREAD INLAND FROM THE THE COASTAL AREA FROM
THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WESTWARD AND CONTINUE INTO
SATURDAY. TROPICAL STORM WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH MAY SPREAD INTO
METRO NEW ORLEANS AREA TODAY...MAINLY ASSOCIATED WITH SQUALLS.
EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO SECURE LOOSE DEBRIS AT THIS TIME.

...RAINFALL...
OCCASIONAL SQUALLS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY AND POSSIBLY INTO
SATURDAY. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY THESE SQUALLS THROUGH
EARLY SATURDAY. THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF RAINFALL IS EXPECTED OVER THE
SOUTHEASTERN PARISHES WHERE FOUR TO SIX INCHES OF RAIN COULD
FALL THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. DEBRIS FROM HURRICANE KATRINA
DAMAGE REMAINS IN DRAINAGE CANALS AND MAY HINDER RAINFALL RUNOFF.
PUMPING STATION CAPACITY STILL REMAINS DEGRADED DUE TO HURRICANE
KATRINA.

...TORNADO THREAT...
A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AS RITA NEARS
THE TEXAS-LOUISIANA BORDER REGION. THIS WILL PLACE MOST OF
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA IN THE FAR NORTHEASTERN QUADRANT OF RITA...
WHICH IS THE PREFERRED REGIONS FOR TORNADOES TO DEVELOP IN
HURRICANES.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 130 PM CDT.

$$
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