Late Reports...

8 pm Position Update:

Location: Latitude 28.7N Longitude 93.0W or 85 miles SE of Sabine Pass
Moving: NW 11
Max Winds: 120 mph (Still category 3)
Central Pressure: 931 millibars (27.49 inches)

Monitoring KPLC Live Coverage out of Lake Charles on the Internet...

Go to this page for live streaming coverage out of the hurricane zone:
http://www.weatherserver.net/hurricanecenter/

Power out much of downtown Lake Charles. There was a rumor of an explosion at the Citgo refinery in Lake Charles, but that turned out to be false. All plants in West Lake have shut down.

NWS LCH Meteorologist in Charge says they are hunkered down. winds nearly hurricane force at LCH airport. Horizontal rain. Thirteen staff members in place at office. Being assisted by Sheriff's deputy. Confirmed our reports from the Calcasieu Pass reporting station on the jetty at Cameron. NWS LCH on generator power. Says storms is moving faster. This means a midnight landfall. Believes landfall will come at Sabine Pass, give or take a few miles. Still jogging right to left or even describing little loops.

Posted by Paul  
on September 23, 2005, 7:41 pm
Inspite of the pressure,Rita looks to be weakening.Will the fact that the eye has collapsed so much lessen the damage where the center makes landfall?

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Posted by Bill Murray  
on September 23, 2005, 7:54 pm
Wind damage may be less since it has weakened some, but takes a long time for the water that is being moved by the hurricane to diminish.

We saw this in Katrina. It was weakening by the time it got to the Mississippi coast also.

The pressure is still very low.

There will be a devastating surge across the low lying areas of Southwest Louisiana.

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