[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLIX 241000
HLSLIX
LAZ038-040-056-058>070-241330-

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

...HURRICANE RITA ONSHORE OVER SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...

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

...STORM SURGE FLOODING CONTINUES OVER SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...

...RAINBANDS PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL OVER AREA...

...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.

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 THROUGH MID MORNING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 400 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 29.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 93.9 WEST...OR NEAR PORT ARTHUR
TEXAS.

RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AT 11 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH AND A SLOWING IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED
TODAY AND TONIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
HURRICANE RITA IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR
SIMPSON SCALE. A GRADUAL DECREASE IN INTENSITY IS EXPECTED
TODAY AS RITA MOVES INLAND.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
STORM SURGE FLOODING REMAINS A THREAT THROUGH TODAY. 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.

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. EXTENSIVE STORM SURGE FLOODING OF LOW LYING COMMUNITIES
IN LOWER TERREBONNE PARISH...AND LOWER JEFFERSON PARISH HAS ALSO
BEEN REPORTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND MEDIA. STORM SURGE FLOODING
IS LIKELY ONGOING IN MANY LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS...AND WILL CONTINUE
THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

TIDES ARE 4 TO 6 ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS MOST OF COASTAL LOUISIANA AND
LOCALLY UP TO 7 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IN TERREBONNE PARISH. TIDE
LEVELS WILL LIKELY PEAK THIS MORNING...BUT WILL REMAIN HIGH THROUGH
MUCH OF TODAY AS BRISK ONSHORE FLOW CONTINUES. TIDES WILL ALSO LIKELY
INCREASE ALONG THE NORTHSHORE OF LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN DURING THE
MORNING DUE TO STRONG SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH WINDS...RESULTING IN STORM
SURGE FLOODING ALONG LOW LYING AREAS.

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 6 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. A GRADUAL DECREASE IN WINDS WILL OCCUR THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

...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. DURING THE EARLY
MORNING HOURS...A PERSISTENT RAINBAND FROM NORTH OF BATON ROUGE TO
WEST OF LAKE PONTCHARTAIN TO THE COAST NEAR PORT FOURCHON HAS
PRODUCED RAINFALL OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS OF 7 INCHES.
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.

...TORNADO THREAT...
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH MID MORNING. SEVERAL
REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED...BUT NO CONFIRMED
REPORTS OF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS HAVE BEEN REPORTED. THE THREAT
OF TORNADOES WILL LIKELY CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 800 AM CDT.

$$

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