She is still showing sustained winds of 100 mph centered some 50 miles SSW of Key West late this afternoon. Now entering the SE Gulf of Mexico where a big welcome sign is hanging out.
As usual, we list this link for you to use to get all kinds of information:
http://www.abc3340.com/weather/tropics.html
That means we won't have to repeat a bunch of stuff everytime we post something and it will save you reading and scanning time. Some miscellaneous notes:
* The Key West doppler radar has a beautiful display of Rita with the eye clearly showing and the strong spiral bands surrounding. I hate to use the word beautiful.
* The Storm Prediction Center has issued a new Tornado Watch for South Florida until 1:00 a.m. This is customary with a landfalling hurricane to produce spinoff tornadoes and waterspouts. This Tornado Watch includes the Miami area southward through the Keys.
* Rita will continue westward through the heart of the Gulf where sea surface temperatures are in the mid 80s. When she gets over near the Texas coast for her expected landfall Saturday morning, she will have water temperatures of 86 and 87 to feed on.
* Contrary to what has been reported on a major national news network all day, the water temperature in the Florida straits is not 90--instead, 84 to 86. Still that is apple pie to a hurricane.
* Latest official track forecast form the NHC still points to a Texas coast landfall Saturday somewhere between Corpus Christi and Galveston. Since that is a long way down the road, the "cone of concern" extends on both sides of the center line to include the Louisiana coast also. Translation: not sealed in stone where the exact landfall will be.
* After landfall, the suggested track is up toward Dallas/Ft. Worth and maybe Witchita Falls and eventually into South-Central Oklahoma.
* Meanwhile, up in NW Florida it is sunny and hot again today. The 4:00 p.m. temperature in Panama City was 96. Yesterday they had a high of 100. That was their hottest of the summer and the hottest temperature ever recorded in the entire month of September.
HOW WILL NEW ORLEANS BE AFFECTED?
Unfortunately, that city is the most recognizable one in the whole wide world at this time. It will be interesting and possibly tragic to watch what goes on there over the next day or so. The track forecast says no landfall in that area, but again that is not sealed in stone. The National Weather Service in New Orleans in their late afternoon official forecast calls for scattered thunderstorms on Friday becoming numerous Saturday and Sunday. This implies some heavy rainfall amounts. That is definitely not needed for their weakened levee systsem and pumps not operating at full capacity.
LATE AFTERNOON SPOT REPORTS FROM SOUTH FLORIDA
Ft. Myers...wind E 17, gusts 29
Marathon...steady rain, wind E28, gusts 38
Key West Naval Air Station...driving rain, wind E 49, gusts 61
Key West International Airport...driving rain, wind E 54, gusts 70
Sand Key...wind E 60, gusts 75
Ft. Lauderdale...wind E 20, gusts to 35
West Kendall...cloudy, wind E 28, gusts 38
All wind speeds are mph. We also have a report that a ham radio operator in Key West reported a gust over 100 mph.
As Rita plows her way across the open Gulf of Mexico, we will have limited spot reports almost entirely from data buoys. However, we will include those in future updates.
As usual, we list this link for you to use to get all kinds of information:
http://www.abc3340.com/weather/tropics.html
That means we won't have to repeat a bunch of stuff everytime we post something and it will save you reading and scanning time. Some miscellaneous notes:
* The Key West doppler radar has a beautiful display of Rita with the eye clearly showing and the strong spiral bands surrounding. I hate to use the word beautiful.
* The Storm Prediction Center has issued a new Tornado Watch for South Florida until 1:00 a.m. This is customary with a landfalling hurricane to produce spinoff tornadoes and waterspouts. This Tornado Watch includes the Miami area southward through the Keys.
* Rita will continue westward through the heart of the Gulf where sea surface temperatures are in the mid 80s. When she gets over near the Texas coast for her expected landfall Saturday morning, she will have water temperatures of 86 and 87 to feed on.
* Contrary to what has been reported on a major national news network all day, the water temperature in the Florida straits is not 90--instead, 84 to 86. Still that is apple pie to a hurricane.
* Latest official track forecast form the NHC still points to a Texas coast landfall Saturday somewhere between Corpus Christi and Galveston. Since that is a long way down the road, the "cone of concern" extends on both sides of the center line to include the Louisiana coast also. Translation: not sealed in stone where the exact landfall will be.
* After landfall, the suggested track is up toward Dallas/Ft. Worth and maybe Witchita Falls and eventually into South-Central Oklahoma.
* Meanwhile, up in NW Florida it is sunny and hot again today. The 4:00 p.m. temperature in Panama City was 96. Yesterday they had a high of 100. That was their hottest of the summer and the hottest temperature ever recorded in the entire month of September.
HOW WILL NEW ORLEANS BE AFFECTED?
Unfortunately, that city is the most recognizable one in the whole wide world at this time. It will be interesting and possibly tragic to watch what goes on there over the next day or so. The track forecast says no landfall in that area, but again that is not sealed in stone. The National Weather Service in New Orleans in their late afternoon official forecast calls for scattered thunderstorms on Friday becoming numerous Saturday and Sunday. This implies some heavy rainfall amounts. That is definitely not needed for their weakened levee systsem and pumps not operating at full capacity.
LATE AFTERNOON SPOT REPORTS FROM SOUTH FLORIDA
Ft. Myers...wind E 17, gusts 29
Marathon...steady rain, wind E28, gusts 38
Key West Naval Air Station...driving rain, wind E 49, gusts 61
Key West International Airport...driving rain, wind E 54, gusts 70
Sand Key...wind E 60, gusts 75
Ft. Lauderdale...wind E 20, gusts to 35
West Kendall...cloudy, wind E 28, gusts 38
All wind speeds are mph. We also have a report that a ham radio operator in Key West reported a gust over 100 mph.
As Rita plows her way across the open Gulf of Mexico, we will have limited spot reports almost entirely from data buoys. However, we will include those in future updates.
on September 20, 2005, 5:39 pm
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