Rita strengthens to Category 5 Hurricane

[TruckDriver]

I hope Troy ( hemi68charger) who lives in Houston, and all our other Texas members will be ok. People in Louisiana have to be all nerves again too

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050922/ts_nm/weather_rita_dc

[69bananabeast]

we need a weather machine to make it go over NO again since its already there    jk  . I hope it will go back down; live here in san antonio its about 850 miles away from me or so  and 750 miles from galveston/houston.  after the storm my city is suppose to get a bit of rain thats already projected for friday and saturday.   red cross is preparing around town already and many hotels are already booked from people at the coast.

For all the other texans in harms way God bless .

[Brock Samson]

I got an amazing number of calls from folks asking why the Air Force dosen't just drop a couple 500 Lb. bombs in the eye of these storms since it was proven in the '50s in the A.F.'s own reports that storms could be defused quickly and cheaply this way?..

  How do these myths get started?... Why do theyall come out at the same time?.. with these cock and bull stories, sometimes I thinks it's because some crackpot radio D.J. mentions this crap on their call-in talk radio show, and then the phones start lighting up?...

I hope all you folks in Rita's path are spared, and beware used cars from N.O...

[69bananabeast]

thats true I saw something on the news about that a couple days ago to watch out for those cars from katrina . something like a Million + cars

[Johnny SixPack]

Well, Rita is now the 3rd most powerful hurricane ever in the Atlantic Basin.  

Below 900 mb with max sustained winds of near 175 mph.

I'm northeast of Houston and just saw on WeatherBug that my county has just issued a voluntary evacuation order.

I blame rising tomato prices.

[Recharger]

There was some "expert" on the radio earlier today who said it's probably a good thing that the hurricane is already this powerful.  Since it's got a way to go before it hits land, it should probably be back down to a cat 4 or 3 before it hits land.  Based on historical probability, that's what "should" happen, he claimed.  I hope for everyone's sake that's true. 

[The Mad Scientist]

I heard that there's supposed to be tornadic activity all the way up to Ada OK on Sunday.  Hopefully that's just a rumor too. 

[Lowprofile]

We [WWE] are scheduled to do shows in Waco and Laredo this week. We just got the call to be ready to head north tomorrow. After seeing what happened 2 weeks ago, I hope to god that storm looses strength.   

[69bananabeast]

wouldnt that hurricane only get stronger with all that warm water and as slow as its moving instead of get weaker?

[derailed]

wouldnt that hurricane only get stronger with all that warm water and as slow as its moving instead of get weaker?

Yes i believe thats how it usually works.

[Brock Samson]

In Thursdays Chronicle our reporter says if Rita hits Gas will hit $4.oo per gallon! 

[69bananabeast]

I believe it just when it started dropping to $2.50  people are jacking prices back up

[Vainglory, Esq.]

But what will happen to tomatoes!?

[RD]

how will the hurricane affect the swells in the NO area?  Will the NO area get flooded once again?  I am asking because I really do not know.

[Charger_Fan]

Hey Johnny, do you have a cement bunker to keep the Charger's in?

[volk68]

I have heard it is back down to a Cat 4?  I hope it continues to weaken.

[MoparYoungGun]

I have heard it is back down to a Cat 4?

Yep, winds about 145mph I believe with gusts up to 190mph.

I really hope everybody in Texas and any other areas that get hit are ok. Good luck to all of you!

[69bananabeast]

yeah it was at 175 mph  and down to 145 mph  . Im in San Antonio and were expecting rain to start Tom . and go through Sunday at least.  Were suppose to get something like at least 3'' of rain and 35 mph winds.

[69bananabeast]

there was also a dumb thing on the news yesterday.  A bunch of people were boarding up buildings in the coastal cities before evacuation and were spray painting all the ply wood with the words " Go Away Rita"    Likes thats really going to help . I think they just wanted to get on tv .

[Johnny SixPack]

Well, it's official folks.

Southeast Texas is a royal cluster-f**k.

Heard reports on the radio about the trip to San Antonio from Houston taking 16-18 hours (normally a 3 - 3.5 hour trip).

There is NO gas available either.

And many that are evacuating are simply running out of it on the interstates.

Heard talk about the gov. trying to bring fuel tankers into some of the rest stops and fuel up vehicles that are low on gas just as a preventative measure.

So, rather than end up stuck out there, as one of those cars you're no doubt seeing on any number of TV broadcasts, we're staying.

Besides, there was been talk of criminals taking advantage of the evacuation to get some looting in early.

I wouldn't doubt it due to the fact that the police simply can't cover everything at once.

It's just not going to happen.

They've got entirely too much going on right now.

As for us, we've got a week's worth of water (drinking/washing) and food, so we should be covered.

Guns are loaded, but hopefully they just just sit there till some semblance of normality is regained.

One of the worst things about this is you know the b*tch is coming, but man... the waiting..... it just messes with your mind.


C_F, the "70 is locked down tight in her garage, and luckily a friend at the state inspection/lube joint let me keep the Imperial at the shop, but the "69 is just gonna have to weather it out under the carport.

I've got it tucked in nice and safe beside another couple cars though, so she should be OK.


My thoughts and prayers are with anyone sticking this out.

May God watch over us all.

[TruckDriver]

I heard on the news this morning, that N.O. is flooding again too

[Plumcrazy]

My thoughts and prayers are with anyone sticking this out.

Ours too!

[Mopar440+6]

We're pullin for you guys!

[bull]

What a mess. One hundred-mile traffic jams, even with both sides of the freeway heading outbound. Twenty elderly people killed in a bus fire while trying to get out. I hope it turns out better than they predict, I hope this is the last hurricane for a long time and I hope all the opportunistic looters get what they have coming, like nice crack to the melon with a 2X4. Strange days we're in right now. At least Houston  isn't below sea level is it? I guess they're saying now it might not hit Houston so that's a plus.

We don't have hurricanes here but we went through our 100-year flood back in '96 and that was pretty scary. Hard wind and lots of rain. At the time I helped evacuate my wife's workplace and I remember seeing very large rapids rushing down one of the main streets in Tualatin, OR. One apartment complex next to the Tualatin River had water half way up the 2nd story wall. Fortunately the Willamette River crested before it took downtown Portland but there were lots of sand bags and plywood holding it back. I had to get out in the middle of the night to chain the tree in our front yard to a John Deere tractor so it wouldn't fall on the house. I heard it creaking badly in the wind and went out to see the ground rising and falling about 10 inches around the root ball so I had to do something. When we woke up we found four trees down on the fence behind the house and the river below had taken a three-mile shortcut over about 100 acres of land. That kind of experience makes you feel pretty small.

[Johnny SixPack]

Thank you God!

They've just now downgraded Rita to a Cat. 3!

Max sustained winds are now 125 mph.

I'll take 125 over 175 any day.  

They've also shifted the track towards the TX/LA border, so things are looking better here.

My thought and prayers go out to those currently being affected by the storm, and its possible continued movement.