[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLIX 240608
HLSLIX
LAZ038-040-056-058>070-240800-

HURRICANE RITA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
107 AM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

...OVER TOPPING ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL LEVEES CONTINUES WITH
FLOODING IN ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD PARISHES...

...DANGEROUS HURRICANE RITA CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARD THE
LOUISIANA AND TEXAS BORDER...

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

...STORM SURGE FLOODING INCREASING OVER COASTAL AREAS WEST OF
MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND NORTHSHORE LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN TONIGHT AND EARLY
SATURDAY...

...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...LIVINGSTON

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR SOUTHEAST 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.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
INTERIOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FOR FREQUENT WIND GUSTS
BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH TONIGHT.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 1 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 29.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 93.5 WEST. THIS LOCATION IS ABOUT 30
SOUTHEAST OF SABINE PASS ALONG THE COAST AT THE BORDER BETWEEN TEXAS
AND LOUISIANA.

RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AT 11 MPH...AND THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL LANDFALL TONIGHT. A GRADUAL
TURN TOWARD THE NORTH NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
HURRICANE RITA IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR
SIMPSON SCALE. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED PRIOR TO
LANDFALL.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PERSONS LIVING IN LOW LYING AREAS NEAR DAMAGED LEVEES...LOW
LYING AREAS NEAR 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 LOW
LYING COASTAL AREAS. 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...
OVER-TOPPING CONTINUES ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL LEVEE IN THE NEW
ORLEANS AREA. A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ORLEANS AND JEFFERSON
PARISHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF LOW LYING COMMUNITIES IN LOWER
TERREBONNE PARISH WAS ALSO REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

TIDES ARE 4 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL...AND NEAR 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IN
TERREBONNE PARISH. AS RITA MOVES TOWARD THE COAST...A SHARP INCREASE
IN TIDE LEVELS CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT ALONG COASTAL AREAS WEST OF
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER INCLUDING TERREBONNE...LAFOURCHE...LOWER
JEFFERSON...AND PLAQUEMINES PARISHES. IN ADDITION...TIDES WILL
MARKEDLY INCREASE ALONG THE NORTHSHORE OF LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN DUE TO
WIND SHIFTING TO SOUTHEAST. STORM SURGE FLOODING WILL LIKELY OCCUR IN
LOW LYING AREAS OF THESE LOCATIONS TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY.

TIDES ALONG THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA WILL RANGE FROM 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE
NORMAL EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...AND 5 TO 8 FEET ABOVE NORMAL
WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TONIGHT AND SATURDAY AS WINDS MAINTAIN
AN ONSHORE SOUTHEAST DIRECTION. STORM TIDES OF 3 TO 5 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 HURRICANE 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 IS A LARGE HURRICANE WITH TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTENDING
OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES FROM THE CENTER. TROPICAL STORM WINDS OF 40
TO 50 MPH ARE OCCURRING ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA...AND WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. TROPICAL STORM WIND
GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH WILL CONTINUE OVER MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA THIS EVENING AS SQUALLS MOVE THROUGH THE REGION.
EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO SECURE LOOSE DEBRIS AT THIS TIME.

...RAINFALL...
OCCASIONAL SQUALLS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT...AND POSSIBLY
INTO SATURDAY. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL OF FOUR TO SIX INCHES COULD FALL
THROUGH SATURDAY. LOCAL RAINFALL UP TO 8 INCHES IS POSSIBLE IN SOME
AREAS...ESPECIALLY WEST OF NEW ORLEANS. DEBRIS FROM HURRICANE KATRINA
DAMAGE REMAINS IN DRAINAGE CANALS AND MAY HINDER RAINFALL RUNOFF.
PUMPING STATION CAPACITY STILL REMAINS DEGRADED DUE TO HURRICANE
KATRINA. SOME FLOODING DUE TO HEAVY RAINFALL AND LIMITED PUMPING
CAPACITY HAS OCCURRED IN THE METRO NEW ORLEANS AREA LATE THIS
AFTERNOON.

...TORNADO THREAT...
A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI TONIGHT. SEVERAL REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE BEEN
RECEIVED...BUT NO CONFIRMED REPORTS OF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS HAVE BEEN
REPORTED. THE THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE OVER SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA DURING THE NIGHT.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 300 AM CDT.

$$

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