Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the 17th named tropical storm, ninth hurricane, fifth major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. This hurricane is on record as being the strongest measured hurricane to ever have entered the Gulf of Mexico, and the third most intense hurricane ever in the Atlantic Basin. After peaking in strength at 175 mph (280 km/h) steady winds, it made landfall between Sabine Pass, Texas, and Johnson's Bayou, Louisiana, at 02:38 CDT (07:38 UTC) on September 24, 2005 as a Category 3 hurricane, with windspeeds of 120 mph (190 km/h) and a storm surge of 10 feet (3 m). [1]
The storm first struck Florida after making an approach near Cuba and went on to strike Texas and Louisiana. It is doubtful that Cuba saw sustained tropical storm force winds. A day prior to landfall, the resultant storm surge also reopened some of the levee breaches caused by Hurricane Katrina a month earlier, and reflooded parts of New Orleans. [2] Damage was extensive in the coastal areas in southwestern Louisiana and extreme southeastern Texas. Freshwater flooding over the lower Mississippi Valley region is forecast to be a substantial secondary effect.
Because the Gulf of Mexico is a major center for crude oil production and refineries, as well as home to some of the busiest ports in the world, Rita initially presented the potential to do damage beyond the localized wind and wave surge. These concerns have so far not been realized, as no reports emerged of long-term damage to the major U.S. refining and shipping capacities in Houston, Texas City, Port Arthur, Texas or Beaumont, Texas [3] [4]. Power outtages may have the greatest related effect.
NOAA reported Rita's record-setting Category 5 strength as a result of achieving a minimum central pressure of 897 millibars (hPa) (26.49 inches of mercury) on the afternoon of September 21, 2005. This record strength steadily diminished prior to landfall after Rita moved over cooler waters in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Only the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Hurricane Camille in 1969, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 made landfall in the United States as Category 5 hurricanes since measurements began.
Storm history
Rita's name itself indicates the activity of the 2005 hurricane season; it is only the second time an "R" name has been used since naming of storms began in 1950. Several systems in 1969 went unnamed, so the "R" name was never reached, and the 17th system received the first "M" name used to that time. The only prior 17th tropical systems since 1950 were Hurricane Martha in 1969 and Hurricane Roxanne in 1995.
The storm formed at the tail end of an old frontal boundary, where convection and low level circulation around an upper level low steadily developed for over two days. A surface low formed near it, and the season's 18th tropical depression formed soon thereafter east of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It became the 17th tropical storm of the season on September 18, less than a day after forming. A mandatory evacuation had been ordered for the entire Florida Keys.
Rita was slow to become a hurricane; discussions early on September 20 showed that wind translations to surface level were indeed at 75 mph (120 km/h), however, the lack of a complete eyewall meant that the National Hurricane Center kept Rita as a tropical storm with 70 mph (110 km/h) winds overnight. Aerial reconnaissance data released at 9:45 a.m. EDT that morning showed that Rita had closed the eyewall and winds clearly reached hurricane strength. Four hours later, another special update stated that Rita had reached Category 2 strength with 100 mph (160 km/h) maximum sustained winds.
The warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, which is currently 1° F (0.5° C) above average, is favorable for hurricane development. As Hurricane Rita entered the Gulf of Mexico, it rapidly increased in intensity. The National Hurricane Center's official advisories, issued every three hours, showed strengthening at every single advisory from 5 p.m. EDT on September 20 to 11 a.m. EDT on September 21. At that advisory, Rita's maximum sustained winds increased to 140 mph (225 km/h). Rita continued to gain strength unabated. An update issued at 2:15 p.m. CDT (1815 UTC) said that Rita's maximum winds had increased to 150 mph (240 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 920 mbar (hPa). Less than two hours later, at 3:55 p.m. CDT (19:55 UTC), another update was issued, saying Rita had strengthened into a Category 5 storm with maximum wind speeds of 165 mph (265 km/h). At 6:50 p.m. CDT, a reconnaissance aircraft recorded a pressure reading of 899 mbar (hPa), but it was thought to actually be lower since the reading was not from the center. At 10:00 p.m. CDT, the advisory said that Rita's maximum sustained winds had increased to 175 mph (280 km/h) with an estimated minimum pressure of 897 mbar (hPa), (26.59 inHg). Hurricane Rita's rapid intensification may in part be attributed to its encounter with the Gulf Loop Current and Eddy Vortex.
Lt. Col. Warren Madden, a Hurricane Hunter and meteorologist for The Weather Channel, recorded a peak wind gust of 235 mph (380 km/h) while in the eye of the storm. "Rita is the strongest storm that I've ever been in," he commented.
Rita's wind field was so intense that it has either destroyed or disabled several weather buoys. Some buoys are adrift after breaking free from their moorings. Latest buoy readings can be found from the National Data Buoy Center's web site.
Current storm information
Rita lost both hurricane and tropical storm status on the same day as its landfall. NOAA's current forecast is that Rita's remnants -- technically an extensive low pressure area -- will slow over the lower Mississippi Valley region and cause substantial flooding due to rainfall, of which 5 to 15 inches (125 to 375 mm) are possible. These remnants are moving to the northeast, and will likely exit the U.S. and travel into the North Atlantic as shown in this satellite view of the Eastern U.S
Warnings and watches
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for:
All coastal warnings discontinued.
Inland tropical storm warnings are in effect for:
Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, and Tyler counties in Texas.
Cameron, Iberia, St. Martin, Lower St. Mary, and Vermilion parishes in Louisiana.
Evacuations
Mandatory evacuations are in effect for:
Calcasieu and Cameron parishes in Louisiana.
Acadia Parish south of Highway 92.
Iberia Parish south of Highways 90 and 14.
Jefferson Davis Parish south of Interstate 10 and all other low lying areas.
Saint Mary Parish south of the Intracoastal Canal.
Vermilion Parish south of Highway 14 and residents of mobile homes or special medical needs.
Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Galveston, Goliad, Jackson, Jefferson, Kleberg, Orange, and Wharton counties in Texas.
Southern two-thirds of Matagorda County, Texas.
Airports and airlines
The following is a partial list of airports in and airlines that serve the affected areas, their current status and plans for after the storm.
Airports
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, TX (IATA: IAH, ICAO: KIAH) - expected to reopen on Sunday, September 25, 2005
William P. Hobby Airport, Houston, TX (IATA: HOU, ICAO: KHOU) - expected to reopen on Sunday, September 25, 2005
Southeast Texas Regional Airport, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX (IATA: BPT, ICAO: KBPT)
Lake Charles Regional Airport, Lake Charles, LA - extensive damage
Airlines
American Airlines (IATA: AA, ICAO: AAL, and Callsign: American) has canceled flights to and from both Houston area airports as of Friday, September 23. Flights are scheduled to resume Sunday, September 25.
Latest: Travel Notices
Continental Airlines (IATA: CO, ICAO: COA, and Callsign: Continental) ceased operations at its hub, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, at 12:30PM CDT, September 23. The airline plans to resume operations Sunday, September 25, pending further review of the weather. Continental Express flights will resume Monday, September 26.
Latest: Operations Status
Southwest Airlines (IATA: WN, ICAO: SWA, and Callsign: Southwest) ceased scheduled flight service to William P. Hobby Airport, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and Corpus Christi International Airport on Friday, September 23. The airline plans to resume operations mid-morning on Sunday, September 25, contingent upon the storm's movement.
Latest: Travel Advisory
Effects
The effects of Hurricane Rita, up to this point, are not nearly as severe as expected. The storm surge expected in Galveston had not materialized, as it was well to the west of the storm's center. The strong winds have actually flattened the surge, which was only seven feet (2 m), and the sea wall was easily able to handle it. In New Orleans, the expected 5 inches (130 mm) of rain overnight did not eventuate, and the pressure on the levee system was eased. However, local storm surges of 15 to 20 feet (4.5-6.1 m) in southwestern Louisiana were reported, and no damage reports have come in from coastal parishes. [5]
In total, it is estimated that well over 2,000,000 customers are without electricity. [6] Currently, the total insured damage is estimated at $4-6 billion, which means the overall damage in coastal areas will likely be between $8-11 billion. [7] Inland flooding could increase those numbers substantially though.
Deaths (summary)
The confirmed death toll as of 9:00 pm CDT on September 24 (0200 UTC September 25) stands at 28. One was caused by a hurricane-related tornado in the outer bands, the rest were indirect deaths that were caused by accidents in the evacuation. [14][15]
Direct deaths indicate those caused by the direct effects of the winds, flooding, tornadoes, storm surge or oceanic effects of Rita. Indirect deaths indicate those caused by hurricane-related accidents (including car accidents, fires or other incidents), as well as clean-up and evacuation incidents and health issues (i.e. poisoning, illnesses waiting for help).
Florida and Cuba
Over 340,000 people were under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders in Florida and Cuba. Flooding has been reported along the Florida Keys as a result of the storm surge. The Overseas Highway (US 1) connecting the islands is impassable in some sections as a result of the flooding. As of 8:00 pm EDT on Tuesday, September 20, about 25,000 customers were without electricity in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, plus another 2,100 in the Keys. [16]
A state of emergency has been declared by Florida Governor Jeb Bush and a federal emergency by President George W. Bush in four counties: Broward, Collier, Miami-Dade and Monroe. Over 2,000 National Guard troops and dozens of law enforcement officers have been brought in and are on standby.[17]
No fatalities have been reported in either Florida or Cuba.
Louisiana
On Friday, September 23, well prior to landfall the next day, rising water due to Hurricane Rita was pouring through breaches in a patched levee in New Orleans' already hard-hit 9th Ward as reported by the Army Corps of Engineers. Water entered the Ninth Ward over two 32 ft (10 m) wide patches in the Industrial canal levee as of approximately 9:00 A.M. CDT on Friday, September 23. Water in the Ninth Ward was reported to be waist-deep at 11:00 A.M. CDT on Friday. By approximately 5:00 P.M. CDT, water had begun gushing through another leak in the patched London Avenue Canal into the surrounding Gentilly neighborhood. Some pumping stations were abandoned. As of Saturday night, September 24, water from a 150-foot gap in the Industrial Canal levee had some areas of the Ninth Ward under eight feet of water Damage in southwestern Louisiana is extensive. Many homes throughout the region have damaged roofs. A casino boat and a barge were floating loose in Lake Charles and damaged a bridge spanning Interstate 10 across the Calcasieu River. Lake Charles experienced major flooding and extensive damage to its regional airport. [19]
In Vinton, several fires were burning, the roof was torn off the town's recreation center and many homes were damaged by fallen trees. Widespread flooding was reported in coastal parishes. In Terrebonne Parish, virtually every levee was breached.[20] Some people were stranded in flooded communities and boats had to be used for rescues. It has been reported that at least 100 people needed help from rooftops and at least 25 more remain stranded.
Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco reported that 700,000 homes had lost power in 41 of the state's 64 parishes.
In Vermilion Parish south of Abbeville, rescue efforts were undertaken for up to 1,000 people stranded by local flooding. 250 people were rescued on Saturday, September 24
Mississippi
Several tornadoes from Rita's outer bands affected the state. At least 40 homes and an industrial plant were damaged from one tornado in Humphreys County in central Mississippi, in which one person was killed. Another unconfirmed tornado was reported in Bolivar County.
Another fatality was reported in Wilkinson County, although it has not been confirmed if it was storm-related Hurricane Rita
Texas
On the morning of September 23, a bus carrying 45 nursing home evacuees from Brighton Gardens in Bellaire, Texas erupted into flames and exploded on Interstate 45 southeast of Dallas in Wilmer. So far, 24 people are believed to have been killed as a result of that incident. It is being reported and now confirmed that the fire started in the brake system, and that passengers' therapeutic oxygen tanks may have caused the bus to explode. [25],[26] Also, many of the passengers were sufficiently mobility-impaired that they had had to be carried onto the bus when it was initially loaded; this, combined with insufficient provision on the bus for mobility-impaired passengers, made it difficult or impossible for many of them to escape when the fire broke out.
In the late evening, a fire broke out in the Strand District of Galveston, Texas gutting several homes. However, the fire department was able to fight the blaze and prevent it from spreading through the city. No serious injuries were reported in the fire. Around midnight, a vacant restaurant collapsed nearby, which was reportedly as a result of the fire that weakened the walls.
For the most part, Houston seems to have escaped major damage, apart from extensive loss of power. However, some windows blew out of some downtown skyscrapers, and some trees and signals are down.
Notable facts for Hurricane Rita
Rita has broken multiple records, being the earliest 17th named storm, the third most intense storm, and quickest drop of pressure in one hour. Hurricane Rita recently became the third most intense hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin and the most intense hurricane on record in the Gulf of Mexico, the latter a record set by Hurricane Katrina three weeks earlier.
If it had not weakened (see Loop Current), Rita would have tied a record for Category-4/5 storms hitting the U.S. in one year - two Category 4 storms hit once before in 1915 (one estimated to be 4 by the strength of the winds). Coincidentally, the 1915 storms hit New Orleans and Galveston.
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