[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KHGX 240554
HLSHGX
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-
227-235>238-241000-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT ... CORRECTION TO TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1205 AM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

...RITA A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE AND IS NEARING THE TEXAS AND
LOUISIANA BORDER...

...HURRICANE WARNING FOR ALL THE COASTAL COUNTIES EAST OF SARGENT...

...TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM PORT O'CONNOR TO SARGENT...

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

...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE INLAND AREAS WEST OF
HIGHWAY 288 AND INTERSTATE 45...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH WATCH FOR ALL COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
EXCEPT FOR MATAGORDA...JACKSON...WHARTON...AND COLORADO COUNTIES.

...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 THE COASTAL COUNTIES EAST OF SARGENT.

TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM PORT O'CONNOR TO SARGENT.

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

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

FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS EXCEPT FOR THE
SOUTHWESTERN COUNTIES OF MATAGORDA...JACKSON...WHARTON...AND
COLORADO.

...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION...

.LOCATION...
AT 12 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 29.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE  93.5 WEST OR ABOUT 40 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF THE TEXAS LOUISIANA BORDER...OR 75 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST
OF GALVESTON.

.MOVEMENT...
RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 11 MPH. ON THIS TRACK...THE
CORE OF HURRICANE RITA WILL MAKE LANDFALL NEAR THE TEXAS AND
LOUISIANA LINE BETWEEN 3 AM TO 5 AM.

.INTENSITY...
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA
IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME
FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE POSSIBLE BEFORE LANDFALL...BUT RITA IS
STILL EXPECTED TO COME ASHORE AS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE
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.
TRAVEL WILL BE DANGEROUS...ESPECIALLY IN CARS.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
WATER LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY RECEDING IN THE UPPER PORTION OF
GALVESTON BAY AS STRONG OFFSHORE WINDS HAVE PUSHED THE WATER BACK
SOUTHWARD. REACHES UP NEAR THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL AND EAGLE POINT
COULD FALL AS MUCH AS 4 TO 5 FEET BELOW NORMAL. THIS WILL CAUSE
WATER TO PILE UP ACROSS BAYSIDE LOCATIONS OF GALVESTON ISLAND AND
BOLIVAR PENINSULA AS THE WINDS EVENTUALLY TURN MORE WESTWARD. SURGE
MODELS INDICATE THE POSSIBILITY OF A 4 TO 5 FOOT SURGE BEING TRAPPED
IN THE BAY SIDE PORTION OF EASTERN GALVESTON ISLAND...ALONG THE
BOLIVAR PENINSULA...COUPLED WITH A 2 FOOT HIGH TIDE AT 2 AM...WATER
LEVELS WILL BE 6 TO 7 FEET ABOVE MEAN LOWER LOW WATER. FURTHER WEST
ALONG GALVESTON ISLAND...ALONG THE NORTH FACING BAY SHORES...WATERS
LEVELS SHOULD BE 2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE MEAN LOWER LOW WATER...COUPLED
WITH A 1 TO 2 FOOT HIGH TIDE AT 430 AM. THIS FLOODING WILL GRADUALLY
SUBSIDE A FEW HOURS AFTER SUNRISE. THE GULF WATERS HAVE ALREADY
DRASTICALLY RECEDED IN RESPONSE TO THE STRONG NORTH WINDS PUSHING
WATER FURTHER OFFSHORE THIS EVENING.

ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK...THE MOST SEVERE SURGE IMPACTS WOULD
BE MAINLY EAST OF GILCHRIST.

...WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE NOW OCCURRING ALONG THE COASTLINE
AND TROPICAL STORM WIND GUSTS NOW BEING REPORTED JUST INLAND. WINDS
WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE NIGHT AS HEAVIER RAINBANDS
CLOSER TO THE WESTERN EYE WALL ROTATE IN.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS...39 MPH OR GREATER...ARE EXPECTED TO
REACH THE HIGHWAY 59 CORRIDOR (NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10) AROUND 8 PM.
HURRICANE FORCE GUSTS...AROUND 75 MPH...SHOULD REACH THE HIGHWAY 59
CORRIDOR BY 4 TO 5 AM IN NORTHERN LIBERTY AND POLK COUNTIES.

COASTAL CHAMBERS COUNTY AND EXTREME EASTERN LIBERTY COUNTY MAY
EXPERIENCE UP TO 6 HOURS OF SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS. EXPECT
SUSTAINED 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 THAT 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          95                    110
LIBERTY           85                    100
GALVESTON         85                    100
POLK              70                     85
SAN JACINTO       70                     85
HARRIS            65                     80
TRINITY           65                     80
MONTGOMERY        65                     80
BRAZORIA          60                     75
FORT BEND         50                     60
HOUSTON           50                     60
WALKER            50                     60
WALLER            45                     55
AUSTIN            45                     55
MADISON           40                     50
GRIMES            40                     55
WASHINGTON        40                     50
WHARTON           40                     50
MATAGORDA         40                     50
BRAZOS            40                     50


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...
A SLIGHT THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL EXIST LATER TONIGHT AS THE
HURRICANE NEARS THE COAST. AREAS EAST OF INTERSTATE 45 GENERALLY
HAVE THE BETTER CHANCES.

...RAINFALL...
RAINBANDS ARE ROTATING IN OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND WILL CONTINUE
TO OVERSPREAD THE REGION THROUGH THE LATE EVENING AND EARLY MORNING
HOURS.

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 15 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 200 AM CDT.

$$
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