A disturbing poster today at the AGU fall meeting

[Ptarmigan]

How about a storm intensifying at Wilma levels as it is making landfall? I mean a storm that people go to bed as a tropical storm or low-end Category 1 (say, 70-80 mph), wake up to a Category 5 - and then some (say 175-190 mph) at landfall.

That would be scary!

[Frank2]

Re: hial2's post

And even closer - there was a HUGE lake in South Miami at Ludlam and Bird Road that was recently filled for a housing complex..there's nothing there now but asphalt...

I'm not sure which lake that is (was) - are you referring to Lake Catalina on Miller and SW 72 Ave?

I can't tell you how much this area has changed since we arrived almost 37 years ago - of course ditto for the rest of the planet...

Some here were suprised at the amount of flooding on Thursday, after a "tropical storm" passed over this area (rainfall totals were between 8.5 inches and 2 inches, depending on location) - asphalt just doesn't soak up the rain as soil can...

Frank

[hial2]

Re: hial2's post

And even closer - there was a HUGE lake in South Miami at Ludlam and Bird Road that was recently filled for a housing complex..there's nothing there now but asphalt...

I'm not sure which lake that is (was) - are you referring to Lake Catalina on Miller and SW 72 Ave?

Frank

Nope..The lake was SW of the Winn Dixie @ Bird and Ludlam..

[f5]

It was Katrina that drove the whole city to evacuate beacuse Rita was infact similar to the strength of Katrina which flatten southeast louisiana and the mississippi coast infact waveland was wiped off the map

So true. The images of New Orleans and Gulfport getting leveled and flooded from Hurricane Katrina sure scared Southeast and East Texas. If it wasn't for Katrina, than less people would of evacuated.

Rita was stronger than Katrina but whats the difference in damage with 180 mph sustained winds vs the 175 Katrina had?

[Ptarmigan]

Rita was stronger than Katrina but whats the difference in damage with 180 mph sustained winds vs the 175 Katrina had?

Not much. Also, it depends on size. Some really strong hurricanes had small hurricane force wind fields of 15 to 50 miles from the eye, while some have really large ones up to 150 miles from the eye. Also, if they are slow moving, that's even worse.

[f5]

Category 5s are special beacuse they are capable of producing catastrophic damage they make us bow down to them beecause they are a force of nature to be reckon with

[Ptarmigan]

Category 5s are special beacuse they are capable of producing catastrophic damage they make us bow down to them beecause they are a force of nature to be reckon with

Category 5's are scary. Thankfully there was not one this year, unlike from 2003 to 2005.

[southerngale]

I think the Rita evacuations were a direct result of Katrina. At one time Rita was stronger than Katrina. People in SE Texas had been watching the Katrina disaster and now a monster, stronger than Katrina was forecast to make a direct hit! I don't blame them for being scared. I was worried to death as Katrina approached Mississippi. No telling how many residents of Houston have arrived there after Alicia and have never experienced a big hurricane. I'm only worried that many in the Houston area may now think they have been through a big one and won't leave for the next. Camille killed more in Mississippi in 2005 because no one thought Katrina could be worst than Camille......MGC

They may not want to leave because of the hassle involved, but I don't think anyone in Houston thinks they've been through a big one with Rita...I believe they only had TS winds in the Houston area. Now I can't say the same for over here in the Beaumont area. We still hear about Rita-related stuff every day...ongoing recovery, a business that rebuilt opening back up, etc. Many people call this our "big one" because it's the worst disaster here we've ever faced.....BUT we do know it could be worse, at least some of us do. Another one could be stronger when it hits, hit at a worse angle to put more of the area under water and not just Sabine Pass and part of Port Arthur. And the winds that damaged nearly every building here (some worse than others...from minor damage to total destruction) could be even worse and destroy more buildings/homes.

Btw, Derek... all of Jefferson County (Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, etc.) had a mandatory evacuation for Rita. The 2 counties north of Jefferson County (Hardin County & Jasper County) also had mandatory evacuations. I'm sure Rita being in the footsteps of Katrina had something to do with it going all the way to Jasper County, which btw, had a ton of damage, but I believe Hardin County usually has a mandatory evacuation when Jefferson County does (Lili 2002 & Andrew 1992). The storm surge simulation that I've seen here shows a cat.4/5 surge would reach southern Hardin County (the county north of Beaumont). I don't recall exactly which cat. they had for it reaching Beaumont, but it was creepy enough for me. I'm sure that's with a hurricane hitting in just the right spot to give us the worst effects. We have a lot of rivers, bayous, etc. around here. I'm guessing the Neches River at the Port of Beaumont would be a place where the surge would be worse. ??? I dunno...

[Ptarmigan]

They may not want to leave because of the hassle involved, but I don't think anyone in Houston thinks they've been through a big one with Rita...I believe they only had TS winds in the Houston area. Now I can't say the same for over here in the Beaumont area. We still hear about Rita-related stuff every day...ongoing recovery, a business that rebuilt opening back up, etc. Many people call this our "big one" because it's the worst disaster here we've ever faced.....BUT we do know it could be worse, at least some of us do. Another one could be stronger when it hits, hit at a worse angle to put more of the area under water and not just Sabine Pass and part of Port Arthur. And the winds that damaged nearly every building here (some worse than others...from minor damage to total destruction) could be even worse and destroy more buildings/homes.

Btw, Derek... all of Jefferson County (Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, etc.) had a mandatory evacuation for Rita. The 2 counties north of Jefferson County (Hardin County & Jasper County) also had mandatory evacuations. I'm sure Rita being in the footsteps of Katrina had something to do with it going all the way to Jasper County, which btw, had a ton of damage, but I believe Hardin County usually has a mandatory evacuation when Jefferson County does (Lili 2002 & Andrew 1992). The storm surge simulation that I've seen here shows a cat.4/5 surge would reach southern Hardin County (the county north of Beaumont). I don't recall exactly which cat. they had for it reaching Beaumont, but it was creepy enough for me. I'm sure that's with a hurricane hitting in just the right spot to give us the worst effects. We have a lot of rivers, bayous, etc. around here. I'm guessing the Neches River at the Port of Beaumont would be a place where the surge would be worse. ??? I dunno...

That would be far inland for storm surge to go!

[f5]

Category 5s are special beacuse they are capable of producing catastrophic damage they make us bow down to them beecause they are a force of nature to be reckon with

Category 5's are scary. Thankfully there was not one this year, unlike from 2003 to 2005.

Thankfully there was one category 5 named ANDREW that missed downtown Miami imagine what that would of looked like it would of been total destruction and a big blow for Flordia's tourist industry