[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLIX 241242
HLSLIX
LAZ038-040-056-058>070-241600-

HURRICANE RITA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
745 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 THE NEW ORLEANS METRO AREA...

...STORM SURGE FLOODING CONTINUES IN COMMUNITIES IN LOWER
TERREBONNE AND LOWER JEFFERSON PARISHES...

...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 THE
INTERIOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FOR FREQUENT WIND GUSTS
BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH THROUGH MID MORNING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 700 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 30.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 94.2 WEST...OR MIDWAY BETWEEN
JASPER AND BEAUMONT TEXAS.

RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AT 12 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH AND A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED
TODAY AND TONIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 100 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
HURRICANE RITA HAS WEAKENED TO A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING 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...
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...WITH SOME LOCAL LEVEES
OVERTOPPED. STORM SURGE FLOODING IS LIKELY ONGOING IN MANY OTHER LOW
LYING COASTAL AREAS...AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE DAY. OVER-
TOPPING CONTINUES ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL LEVEE IN THE NEW ORLEANS
AREA WITH STORM SURGE FLOODING IN NEARBY AREAS.

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 COAST 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 AND 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 35
TO 45 MPH ARE OCCURRING ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA...AND WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING. A GRADUAL DECREASE IN
WINDS WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

...RAINFALL...
OCCASIONAL SQUALLS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT...AND POSSIBLY
INTO SUNDAY. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL OF FOUR TO SIX INCHES COULD FALL
THROUGH SUNDAY. 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.

...TORNADO THREAT...
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH 5 PM. 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 1100 AM CDT.

$$

This weather bulletin was brought to you by:
www.nashvilleweather.net