Hurricane/Tropical Storm Rita

[Dutch]

It's definately a hurricane and it's getting windy here, but by the time the whole storm gets to me, it will only be tropical and not hurricane force.

But whatever, this is pretty interesting. I just hope I don't get flooded out of my house. We are expecdting a lot of rain and the storm to slow to a crawl right near here...

Below are some pics of Rita as she rolls into town. Grrr....mamasita! Oh wait, different Rita, but just as exoctic...

Hurricane Rita visits Bossier City, LA (http://www.explodinghouse.net/photos/louisiana/hurricane_rita/rita.html)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm right near Dutch (in Shreveport) for at least the next few days. Should be interesting.

[Airhog]

Is it just me, or does it look like rita turned more north and the eye is going to go east of houston

[Airhog]

Actually looking at the video, it does look like it is headed more northerly

[sterlingice]

Did we really need a 3rd Rita thread?

SI

[RPI-Fan]

Is it just me, or does it look like rita turned more north and the eye is going to go east of houston

Was pretty predictable... I called the shot ("Seems pretty clear to me that it's going to make landfall in or around Lake Charles") on Wednesday night.

Those weather dorks rely too much on their computers and too little on intuition.

[Dutch]

Updated with this morning pictures (not so good quality).

Power is out in surrounding cities (Haughton folks just called me to tell me their power is out.)

Rain and Wind Gusts. Nothing major at this time. But later, flooding is expected and I hope it doesn't get in on my carpet.

Hurricane Rita visits Bossier City, LA (http://www.explodinghouse.net/photos/louisiana/hurricane_rita/rita.html)

[Dutch]

Did we really need a 3rd Rita thread?

SI

Damn.

You could've closed and opened this thread 10 times in the ammount of time it took you to write that. ;)

[Dutch]

I'm right near Dutch (in Shreveport) for at least the next few days. Should be interesting.

It's not going to be like the coast, but it will be a tropical storm of some sort, I'm guessing 12 inches of rainfall.

[Airhog]

Hopefully it continues to track more towards the east, and stays away from OKC.

[JeeberD]

Even if it made it to OKC it probably wouldn't be anything more than a thunderstorm...

[duckman]

Hopefully it continues to track more towards the east, and stays away from OKC.
I'm hoping it affects the weather enough in central Oklahoma that I won't have to go to my family reunion. :D

[Airhog]

Even if it made it to OKC it probably wouldn't be anything more than a thunderstorm...


Well, it could still be a tropicall depression by the time it comes up here, and dumps quite a bit of rain on us. I just don't like the rain :D

[Dutch]

Down to a Category 1 - W00T!

[Eaglesfan27]

Down to a Category 1 - W00T!Woo hoo! My MIL's apartment is the highest point in this complex, so I moved my cars by her place just in case. We are on the 2nd floor, so I don't expect any flooding to bother us. She is on the 1st floor, but her apartment is 5 feet higher (thanks to her place being on top of a hill in the complex) than the other apartments so all of the water should flow away from her place.


Edit: Our power has been flickering on and off for the last hour or so.

[GoldenEagle]

Well, we are under a tornado warning here. It is real odd, about six counties are under the warning. But the TV stations are not even covering the warnings. There is no sirens going off. We have not even got any rain from Rita yet.

The tornado bands are rotating in my direction and I think they will be here soon. The good news is that tropical storms rarely produce powerful tornadoes. The news station said we could get F0 or F1 activity.

[Dutch]

Well, we are under a tornado warning here. It is real odd, about six counties are under the warning. But the TV stations are not even covering the warnings. There is no sirens going off. We have not even got any rain from Rita yet.

The tornado bands are rotating in my direction and I think they will be here soon. The good news is that tropical storms rarely produce powerful tornadoes. The news station said we could get F0 or F1 activity.

We had tornado warnings in the next parish next to ours, but not in ours. The remnants of the "eye" passed by a hour or so ago. No damage to our neighborhood and with exception to the flickering power, no sustained power loss.

My neighbors backyard (http://www.explodinghouse.net/photos/louisiana/hurricane_rita/rita8.jpg) is a lake however, and Lake Dutchy is growing... but even though the storm will continue for a while, the scary part has passed by without much fanfare. W00T!

[Eaglesfan27]

We had tornado warnings in the next parish next to ours, but not in ours. The remnants of the "eye" passed by a hour or so ago. No damage to our neighborhood and with exception to the flickering power, no sustained power loss.

My neighbors backyard (http://www.explodinghouse.net/photos/louisiana/hurricane_rita/rita8.jpg)is a lake however, and Lake Dutchy is growing... but even though the storm will continue for a while, the scary part has passed by without much fanfare. W00T!

Ditto. No power outages here, and I've been quite happy with the way this storm is moving on by. Hopefully, it will continue moving north and out of this area.

[GoldenEagle]

Well, we are under the gun again for a second time. The sirens are going off full force now. The winds are so calm though. They have been blowing all day and have just stopped. The TV stations are still showing the Florida-Kentucky game. The cell heading our direction has already produced one tornado in a town about 45 minutes south of here.

[JeeberD]

It's getting dark and windy here, but I really doubt that much is going to happen. While I would like to get some rain, I don't want there to be so much that it interferes with me getting to the bar to watch the UTEP game tonight...

[GoldenEagle]

Your on the west side of the system, Jeebs. It will just be some rain and wind. I was fortunate enough to be on the west side of Katrina, but now I am right on the eastern front of Rita.

It looks the cell that was producing the tornadoes has lost some of its power. I am hoping that is going to be the case with all of them.

[JeeberD]

Stay safe, GE. I need someone to talk smack to next week... ;)

[GoldenEagle]

And here is the third warning. There is a reported tornado in Shaw, about 10 miles south of here. I am getting some heavy rain and hail right now.

I hope these cells lose strength as the night-time approaches.

[GoldenEagle]

I have never been in a situation where so many warnings have been issued over a short period of time. We got just got the fourth one issued. The good news is I have not seen anything on my side of town. But to the north and east of Cleveland, there have been reported tornadoes touching down.

If you look at the map, there is a line extending straight down of thunderstorms. We are right in the crosshairs of that. The local meteorologist said things will come down when sun goes down (the sun ins not but it is still giving energy to the storms). That should cause things to calm down.

[Eaglesfan27]

Ditto. No power outages here, and I've been quite happy with the way this storm is moving on by. Hopefully, it will continue moving north and out of this area.

I wrote too soon. My power went out Saturday around 7:30 PM in Shreveport. It stayed out until about 20 minutes ago. Last night, it was 84 degrees in the apartment while I tried to sleep. Today it was up to 90 in my apartment. This power outage made me really think about what the evacuees in the Superdome and Convention center and other places went through. It was over 100 in some of those places reportedly, and I was ready to snap at anyone when it was just 84 last night and 90 today...

Hopefully, the central air can cool off my apartment to under 80 by tonight. I head off to work tomorrow morning (4-6 hour drive.) I'm not sure if I will have internet connection or not in Jackson, LA and the surrounding areas where I will be working.

[Warhammer]

And here is the third warning. There is a reported tornado in Shaw, about 10 miles south of here. I am getting some heavy rain and hail right now.

I hope these cells lose strength as the night-time approaches.

Are you in Boyle or Cleveland?

[Cringer]

This power outage made me really think about what the evacuees in the Superdome and Convention center and other places went through. It was over 100 in some of those places reportedly, and I was ready to snap at anyone when it was just 84 last night and 90 today...


I can imagine. We always have A/C problems with my truck. Freightliner's are shit when it comes to A/C systems the past....well, since they started putting in A/C's I guess. Anyways, it's always fun trying to sleep through the day hours when it is 100 degrees outside and you are inside a window less little 4x7x8 box that is a sleeper.

Anyways, atleast I don't have anyone else around me when that happens I guess, instead of the thousands those people had around them.

As far as Rita, I was coming home the night it hit. I was supposed to go across I-12 then I-10 all the way to Houston. Ended up going around, up to I-20 to Dallas then down I-35 to Laredo where I delivered. When going through Dallas I got off the freeway once. Along the frontage road was you normal everyday strip mall, surrounded by some grass atthe edge of te parking lot. A family was taking some blankets out and laying them on the grass, cleary getting ready to camp out for the night. Dallas area shelters, as the road sign pointed out to me, were completely full. For some reason that sight hit me pretty good. It took a lot for me to keep going....with no cash on me to give for a hotel (which were probably all full anyways) there really was nothing I could have done. It sucked to see though.