[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLCH 240948
HLSLCH
LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-241500-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
448 AM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

...CENTER OF MAJOR HURRICANE RITA MOVING OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...
...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM SARGENT TEXAS TO MORGAN CITY
LOUISIANA...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO JEFFERSON...ORANGE...HARDIN...TYLER...
JASPER...AND NEWTON COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...AND FOR
VERNON...RAPIDES...AVOYELLES...BEAUREGARD...ALLEN...EVANGELINE...ST
LANDRY...CALCASIEU...JEFFERSON DAVIS...ACADIA...LAFAYETTE...UPPER ST
MARTIN...CAMERON...VERMILION...IBERIA...ST MARY...AND LOWER ST MARTIN
PARISHES IN LOUISIANA.

...WATCHES/WARNING...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT ALONG THE COAST FROM SARGENT
TEXAS TO MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND
PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY NOW.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR JEFFERSON...ORANGE...
HARDIN...TYLER...JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND
FOR BEAUREGARD...CALCASIEU...CAMERON...VERMILION...IBERIA...SAINT
MARY...LOWER SAINT MARTIN...JEFFERSON DAVIS AND ALLEN PARISHES IN
LOUISIANA.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON...
RAPIDES...AVOYELLES...EVANGELINE...SAINT LANDRY...LAFAYETTE...AND
UPPER SAINT MARTIN PARISHES IN LOUISIANA.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 4 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 29.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 93.9 WEST OR VERY NEAR PORT
ARTHUR TEXAS.

RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST AND A DECREASE IN FORWARD MOTION IS
EXPECTED TODAY.

REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 120 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
RITA IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. GRADUAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY NOW THAT RITA
HAS MOVED ASHORE.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES FROM THE
CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205
MILES. AN INSTRUMENTED TOWER IN PORT ARTHUR RUN BY THE FLORIDA COASTAL
MONITORING PROGRAM HAS JUST REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 91 MPH WITH A
GUST TO 116 MPH.

THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE JUST REPORTED BY THE HURRICANE HUNTERS
JUST BEFORE LANDFALL WAS 937 MB OR 27.67 INCHES. THE AUTOMATED
STATION AT SEA RIM STATE PARK IN JEFFERSON COUNTY RECENTLY REPORTED A
PRESSURE OF 951.3 MILLIBARS OR 28.09 INCHES.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

ALL EVACUATIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
JEFFERSON AND ORANGE COUNTIES AND CAMERON AND CALCASIEU
PARISHES...MAXIMUM STORM SURGES OF 15 TO 20 FEET LIKELY ONGOING
IN AREAS ALONG THE COAST. THIS STORM SURGE WILL ALSO LIKELY COME OVER
THE TOP OF THE SEA WALL AROUND PORT ARTHUR TEXAS. LOW LYING AREAS IN
BEAUMONT AND LAKE CHARLES COULD SEE UP TO 4 FEET OF STORM SURGE
ESPECIALLY NEAR RIVERS AND BAYOUS AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES.

VERMILION PARISH...MAXIMUM STORM SURGE BETWEEN 10 AND 15 FEET IS
LIKELY ONGOING. THIS WILL FLOOD LAND AROUND PECAN ISLAND AND
INTRACOASTAL CITY...WHERE SURGE WAS BATTERING THE TOWN EARLIER FRIDAY
EVENING. SECTIONS OF DELCAMBRE WILL BE UNDER WATER.

IBERIA AND ST. MARY PARISHES...MAXIMUM STORM SURGE BETWEEN 6 AND 10
FEET IS LIKELY ONGOING. THIS WILL FLOOD SECTIONS OF CYPREMORT POINT
AND BURNS POINT...AND LOW-LYING AREAS SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 90 FROM
FRANKLIN TO MORGAN CITY.

NORMAL HIGH AND LOW TIDES AT:

SABINE PASS:
SATURDAY     LOW/3:30 PM/0.2 FT

CALCASIEU PASS:
SATURDAY     LOW/2:44 PM/0.3 FT

SOUTHWEST PASS:
SATURDAY     LOW/3:35 PM/0.2 FT

BASED ON THE PROJECTED STORM SURGE VALUES...CATASTROPHIC RIVER
FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE LOWER REACHES OF THE
SABINE...NECHES...AND CALCASIEU RIVERS...WHERE CRESTS OF 10 TO 15
FEET ABOVE FLOOD STAGE CAN BE EXPECTED. MAJOR FLOODING IS ALSO
LIKELY ALONG THE MERMENTAU RIVER...WHERE CRESTS OF 7 TO 8 FEET ARE
EXPECTED.

...WIND IMPACTS...
THE EYEWALL OF HURRICANE RITA IS SPREADING SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE
WINDS...74 MPH OR GREATER...WITH GUSTS OVER 100 MPH...NORTHWARD INTO
THE AREA.

JEFFERSON AND ORANGE COUNTIES...WINDS OF 80 TO 100 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNRISE. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL
CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON.

CALCASIEU...CAMERON...AND BEAUREGARD PARISHES...WINDS OF 80 TO
100 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNRISE. TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON.

HARDIN...JASPER...NEWTON...AND TYLER COUNTIES...WINDS ARE INCREASING
TO 75 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 100 MPH. THESE WINDS COULD LAST 8 TO 10
HOURS THIS MORNING.

JEFF DAVIS AND VERMILION PARISHES...WINDS WILL CONTINUE AT 60 TO 75
MPH THROUGH SUNRISE. WINDS APPROACHING HURRICANE FORCE WILL LAST
ANOTHER 2 TO 4 HOURS.

VERNON AND ALLEN PARISHES...WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 60 TO 75 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO
SUBSIDE THIS AFTERNOON.

RAPIDES...AVOYLLES...EVANGELINE...AND ST. LANDRY PARISHES...WINDS OF
40 TO 55 MPH WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS COULD LAST INTO THE AFTERNOON.

ACADIA...LAFAYETTE...AND UPPER ST. MARTIN PARISHES...WIND GUSTS
BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNRISE. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS COULD LAST INTO THE AFTERNOON.

IBERIA...ST. MARY...AND LOWER ST. MARTIN PARISHES...WINDS WILL BE 40
TO 50 MPH THROUGH SUNRISE. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS COULD LAST INTO
THE AFTERNOON.

CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE CAN BE EXPECTED DUE TO THE STRENGTH AND DURATION
OF THE EXTREME WINDS. DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES WILL BE
WIDESPREAD. POWER OUTAGES WILL ALSO BE WIDESPREAD AND LIKELY
LENGTHY. SOME STRUCTURES WILL FAIL.

THE VINTON POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS WIDESPREAD DAMAGE ACROSS THE
CITY...INCLUDING THEIR OWN BUILDING WHERE PART OF THE ROOF WAS BLOWN
OFF.

...RAINFALL IMPACTS...
EXTREME RAINFALL WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY RITA. DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES
THAT RAINFALL TOTALS SINCE FRIDAY AFTERNOON HAVE EXCEEDED 6 INCHES
IN MANY LOCATIONS...WITH AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 6 INCHES LIKELY. LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS OF 20 TO 25 INCHES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN
TEXAS AND WESTERN LOUISIANA. THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS MAY CAUSE
CATASTROPHIC RIVER FLOODING.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST...SOUTH CENTRAL AND
CENTRAL LOUISIANA...AS WELL AS SOUTHEAST TEXAS...THROUGH 6 AM
THIS MORNING DUE TO THE OUTER RAINBANDS OF RITA.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT ON HURRICANE RITA WILL BE ISSUED BY 9 AM CDT.

$$

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