[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KHGX 240729
HLSHGX
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-
235>238-241200-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
228 AM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

...HURRICANE RITA MAKING LANDFALL AT THE TEXAS LOUISIANA BORDER...
...TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS IMPACTING THE EASTERN
HALF 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 THE COASTAL COUNTIES EAST OF SARGENT.

TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM PORT O'CONNOR TO SARGENT.

INLAND HURRICANE WARNING FOR CHAMBERS...GALVESTON...LIBERTY...AND POLK
COUNTIES UNTIL 4 PM SATURDAY.

INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR BRAZORIA...HARRIS...
HOUSTON...MATAGORDA...MONTGOMERY...SAN JACINTO...TRINITY...AND
WALKER COUNTIES UNTIL 4 PM SATURDAY.

WIND ADVISORY FOR AUSTIN...BRAZOS...BURLESON...COLORADO...
FORT BEND...GRIMES...JACKSON...MADISON...WALLER...WASHINGTON...AND
WHARTON COUNTIES UNTIL 4 PM SATURDAY.

FLOOD WATCH FOR BRAZORIA...CHAMBERS...GALVESTON...HARRIS...HOUSTON...
LIBERTY...MONTGOMERY...POLK...SAN JACINTO...TRINITY...AND WALKER
COUNTIES UNTIL 4 PM SATURDAY. FLOOD WATCH FOR THE REMAINDER OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS BEEN CANCELLED

...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION...

.LOCATION...
AT 2 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 29.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE  93.7 WEST OR ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH-
SOUTHEAST OF SABINE PASS ON THE TEXAS LOUISIANA BORDER...OR ABOUT 80
MILES EAST OF GALVESTON.

.MOVEMENT...
RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH. ON THIS TRACK...THE
CORE OF HURRICANE RITA WILL MOVE INLAND OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST TEXAS
AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

.INTENSITY...
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA
REMAINS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
HURRICANE SCALE.

...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...
DUE TO THE MORE EASTWARD TRACK OF HURRICANE RITA...WIND IMPACTS WILL
BE LOWER THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY FOR WESTERN PORTIONS
OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. HOWEVER...HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE STILL
EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...AND GALVESTON
COUNTIES...AND POSSIBLY OVER PORTIONS OF POLK COUNTY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE CURRENTLY AFFECTING THE UPPER TEXAS
COASTAL AREAS NORTHWARD TO AROUND INTERSTATE 10 FROM HOUSTON
EASTWARD. THESE WINDS WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD AND GENERALLY AFFECT ALL
AREAS EAST OF INTERSTATE 45 BY SUNRISE SATURDAY.

THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR OVER LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...AND
GALVESTON COUNTIES BETWEEN NOW AND 6 AM. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE
POSSIBLE AND COULD LAST 2 TO 4 HOURS IN SOME LOCATIONS. HURRICANE
FORCE WINDS COULD AFFECT PORTIONS OF POLK COUNTY LATE MORNING
SATURDAY (BETWEEN 8 AM AND NOON).

WEST OF INTERSTATE 45 AND STATE HIGHWAY 288...MUCH LOWER WINDS ARE
EXPECTED. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH
ARE EXPECTED IN THESE AREAS.

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          73                     91
LIBERTY           68                     85
GALVESTON         66                     82
POLK              59                     74
HARRIS            55                     69
SAN JACINTO       54                     68
TRINITY           50                     62
MONTGOMERY        49                     61
BRAZORIA          50                     62
HOUSTON           42                     52
WALKER            43                     52
MATAGORDA         40                     50

...TORNADOES...
CONDITIONS ARE NO LONGER FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TORNADOES
OVER THIS PORTION OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES IS
EXPECTED TO REMAIN EAST OF OUR AREA...TOWARDS THE TEXAS LOUISIANA
BORDER AND OVER SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

...RAINFALL...
RAINBANDS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT MAINLY THE EASTERN HALF OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL IMPACT
POLK...LIBERTY AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE FLOOD WATCH
AREA...GENERALLY ENCOMPASSING THOSE AREAS EAST OF INTERSTATE 45.
LOCALIZED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE...
ESPECIALLY OVER POLK...LIBERTY...AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES. THESE
RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD LEAD TO FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS.

FURTHER WEST...RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE LESS THAN AN INCH...WITH
ISOLATED TOTALS TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE. FLOODING PROBLEMS ARE NOT
ANTICIPATED IN THESE AREAS.

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 600 AM CDT.

$$

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