[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KHGX 231530
HLSHGX
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-
235>238-231930-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1030 AM CST FRI SEP 23 2005

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

...HURRICANE WARNING FOR ALL OF THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...

...INLAND HURRICANE WARNING FOR AREAS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS GENERALLY
EAST OF HIGHWAY 288 AND INTERSTATE 45...

...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE INLAND HURRICANE WARNING FOR
AREAS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS GENERALLY EAST OF HIGHWAY 288 AND INTERSTATE
45...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH WATCH FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF...
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 AREAS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS GENERALLY
EAST OF HIGHWAY 288 AND INTERSTATE 45.

INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE INLAND HURRICANE WARNING FOR
AREAS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS GENERALLY EAST OF HIGHWAY 288 AND INTERSTATE
45.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION...

.LOCATION...
AT 10 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 27.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 91.9 WEST OR ABOUT 220 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON TEXAS

.MOVEMENT...
HURRICANE RITA WAS MOVING NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON
THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF RITA WILL REACH THE UPPER TEXAS COAST
TONIGHT.

.INTENSITY...
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 135 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. RITA IS AT THE BORDER OF CATEGORY FOUR AND THREE HURRICANE
ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. RITA IS EXPECTED TO COME ASHORE AS A
MAJOR HURRICANE.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.EVACUATION INFORMATION...
EVACUATIONS SHOULD BE COMPLETE. THOSE THAT HAVE NOT EVACUATED
YET SHOULD REMAIN IN PLACE OR MOVE TO A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS
IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. IT WILL BE MORE DANGEROUS TO BE STUCK IN
YOUR CAR DURING TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE CONDITIONS.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE UPPER
TEXAS COAST AND BAYS. WATER LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE A
GRADUAL RISE TODAY AS SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE RITA CONTINUE
PROPAGATING ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS.  THE PEAK FLOOD THREAT WILL BE
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS SATURDAY PRIOR TO LANDFALL.

ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK...THE SEVERE SURGE IMPACTS WOULD BE
MAINLY EAST OF HIGH ISLAND. ALL WATER HEIGHTS IN THE TABLE BELOW ARE
PREDICATED ON THIS TRACK AND IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THESE NUMBERS
WILL BE HIGHER SHOULD THE STORM SHOULD VEER TO THE WEST OF THE
FORECAST TRACK.

PEAK WATER LEVELS WILL OCCUR AS THE HURRICANE APPROACHES AND
MOVES JUST INLAND. THEN...DURING THE MORNING HOURS WHEN STRONG
OFFSHORE WINDS ARE PREVAILING...WATER LEVELS SHOULD RAPIDLY RECEDE IN
THE UPPER PORTION OF GALVESTON BAY. REACHES UP NEAR THE HOUSTON SHIP
CHANNEL AND EAGLE POINT COULD FALL AS MUCH AS 5 TO 6 FEET BELOW
NORMAL. THIS COULD CAUSE WATER TO PILE UP ACROSS BAYSIDE LOCATIONS OF
GALVESTON ISLAND AND BOLIVAR PENINSULA. SURGE MODELS INDICATE THE
POSSIBILITY OF A 4 TO 6 FOOT SURGE BEING TRAPPED IN EAST BAY ALONG
THE BOLIVAR PENINSULA DURING THE MORNING HOURS.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE HIGH TIDE TIMES FOR TONIGHT 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         7.0 FEET

PORT BOLIVAR       211 AM CDT SAT         6.6 FEET

GALVESTON CHANNEL  157 AM CDT SAT         6.4 FEET

SAN LUIS PASS      148 AM CDT SAT         4.7 FEET

JAMAICA BEACH      435 AM CDT SAT         4.7 FEET

MORGANS POINT     1218 PM CDT SAT        -4.1 FEET

EAGLE POINT        551 AM CDT SAT         3.6 FEET

FREEPORT           113 AM CDT SAT         5.6 FEET

CLEAR LAKE         802 AM CDT SAT         1.1 FEET

...WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS...39 MPH OR GREATER...ARE EXPECTED TO
REACH THE UPPER TEXAS COAST DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON AND
SPREAD INLAND TO THE INTERSTATE 10 CORRIDOR AROUND 3 PM AND CONTINUE
MOVING INLAND FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE US
59 CORRIDER WILL BEGIN SEEING TROPICAL STORM WINDS AFTER 8 PM.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS SHOULD REACH THE COASTLINE NEAR HIGH ISLAND
AROUND 6 PM.

LOCATIONS FROM EAST OF A GALVESTON BAY TO HIGHWAY 59 SHOULD
ANTICIPATE SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS. CHAMBERS COUNTY AND
LIBERTY COUNTY INLAND TO POLK COUNTY COULD EXPERIENCE UP TO 10 HOURS
OF HURRICANE FORCE WINDS. EXPECT TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ALONG AND
EAST OF A HIGHWAY 288 TO INTERSTATE 45 LINE. AREAS FURTHER WEST SHOULD
EXPECT TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS IN RAINBANDS.

ASSUMING THE RITA FOLLOWS THE FORECAST TRACK...LISTED BELOW ARE
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WINDS SELECTED COUNTIES CAN EXPECT DURING THE EVENT.

THE TABLE REPRESENTS ONLY THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE WIND WHICH MAY OCCUR IN
THE GIVEN COUNTY (NOT COUNTY WIDE):

COUNTY      SUSTAINED WINDS (MPH)   PEAK GUST (MPH)
------      ---------------------   ---------------
CHAMBERS          85                    105
POLK              90                    110
LIBERTY           85                    105
GALVESTON         70                     90
SAN JACINTO       70                     85
HARRIS            65                     85
TRINITY           60                     75
MONTGOMERY        65                     80
BRAZORIA          60                     80
FORT BEND         60                     75
HOUSTON           55                     70
WHARTON           40                     60
MATAGORDA         40                     55
BRAZOS            40                     60
AUSTIN            50                     60
MADISON           50                     65
WALLER            55                     70
WALKER            60                     75
GRIMES            50                     60
WASHINGTON        45                     55

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

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

...TORNADOES...
THE THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL INCREASE LATER THIS EVENING AS THE
HURRICANE APPROACHES. AREAS EAST OF INTERSTATE 45 GENERALLY HAVE THE
BETTER CHANCES.

...RAINFALL...
OUTER RAINBANDS WILL BEGIN MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON. RAINFALL WILL INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE THROUGH THE
EVENING.

LOCATIONS EAST OF A LINE FROM CRYSTAL BEACH TO CROCKETT CAN EXPECT
RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES. RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4
TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ALONG INTERSTATE 45. WEST OF INTERSTATE 45...
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UNDER 4 INCHES IS EXPECTED. ISOLATED HEAVIER
RAINFALL TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 10 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY OVER
OUR FAR EASTERN COUNTIES ESPECIALLY IF RITA 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 2 PM CDT.

$$

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