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BULLETIN
HURRICANE RITA ADVISORY NUMBER 27
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
4 AM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005
...RITA MOVES ONSHORE NEAR SABINE PASS AS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE
HURRICANE...CURRENTLY NEAR PORT ARTHUR TEXAS...
A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SARGENT TEXAS TO MORGAN
CITY LOUISIANA. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24
HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE
ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED.
AT 4 AM CDT...0900Z...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS DISCONTINUED
SOUTH OF PORT O'CONNOR TEXAS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN
EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF LOUISIANA EAST OF MORGAN CITY
TO THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER... INCLUDING METROPOLITAN NEW
ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN...AND FROM SOUTH OF SARGENT TEXAS TO
PORT O'CONNOR TEXAS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL
STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE
NEXT 24 HOURS.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
AT 4 AM CDT...0900Z...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 NEAR 12 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH AND A DECREASE IN FORWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THIS MOTION SHOULD BRING THE CENTER OF
RITA FARTHER INLAND OVER SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS TODAY.
REPORTS FROM AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT AND
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADARS INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THIS MAKES
RITA A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. RITA
SHOULD WEAKEN TODAY AS THE CENTER MOVES FARTHER INLAND.
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 MEASURED BY THE HURRICANE HUNTERS JUST
BEFORE LANDFALL WAS 937 MB...27.67 INCHES. THE AUTOMATED STATION
AT SEA RIM STATE PARK TEXAS RECENTLY REPORTED A PRESSURE OF
951.3 MB...28.09 INCHES.
COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 15 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...
LOCALLY UP TO 20 FEET AT HEAD OF BAYS AND NEARBY RIVERS...WITH
LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO
THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. TIDES ALONG THE
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI COASTS IN AREAS AFFECTED BY
KATRINA COULD BE 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL AND BE ACCOMPANIED BY
LARGE WAVES... AND RESIDENTS THERE COULD EXPERIENCE COASTAL
FLOODING. LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY RITA WILL LIKELY AFFECT MOST
PORTIONS OF THE GULF COAST.
SINCE RITA IS MOVINGLY SLOWLY AND IS FORECAST TO SLOW DOWN FURTHER
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...RAINFALL TOTALS OF 10 TO 15 INCHES ARE
EXPECTED OVER EASTERN TEXAS AND WESTERN LOUISIANA. MAXIMUM
RAINFALL TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 25 INCHES MAY OCCUR OVER LOCALIZED
AREAS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WITH ISOLATED HEAVIER
AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA INCLUDING
METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS.
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT OVER FAR EASTERN
TEXAS...LOUISIANA...SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...AND MISSISSIPPI.
REPEATING THE 4 AM CDT POSITION...29.9 N... 93.9 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS...120 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 937 MB.
AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER AT 7 AM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT
COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 10 AM CDT.
FORECASTER BEVEN
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And give Oprah some time to find out about Ikes impact. It's only been a couple of weeks.
