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Rantburg Storm Center - Rita Cat FIVE - 165 MPH
...Rita reaches 165 mph winds...becomes an extremely dangerouscategory five hurricane...the second of the 2005 season... at 4 PM CDT...2100z...a Hurricane Watch has been issued for Gulf of Mexico coast from Port Mansfield Texas to Cameron Louisiana. At 4 PM CDT...2100z...a tropical storm watch has been issued for east of Cameron to Grand Isle Louisiana and from south of Port Mansfield to Brownsville. At 4 PM CDT...2100z...the government of Mexico has issued a tropical storm watch for the northeast coast of Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward. At 4 PM CDT...2100z...the eye of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 24.4 north...longitude 86.8 west or about 600 miles east-southeast of Galveston Texas and about 700 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi Texas. Rita is moving toward the west near 13 mph and this motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 165 mph...with higher gusts. Rita is an extremely dangerous category five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next 24 hours. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. Pressure has been falling rapidly during the day and the latest minimum central pressure recently reported by an Air Force reconnaissance plane was 914 mb...26.99 inches. Tides are currently running near normal along the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts in the areas affected by Katrina. Tides in those areas will increase up to 3 to 4 feet over the next 24 hours with large waves on top and residents there could experience flooding. Repeating the 4 PM CDT position...24.4 N... 86.8 W. Movement toward...west near 13 mph. Maximum sustained winds...165 mph. Minimum central pressure...914 mb. An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 7 PM CDT followed by the next complete advisory at 10 PM CDT. Forecaster Avila ---------------------------------------------------------
Posted by: Steve 2005-09-21 |
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