26 September 2005

Rita makes landfall...

In the early morning hours on Saturday (around 3am local), Rita crossed the coastline as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, near Sabine, TX on the TX/LA border.  Cameron, LA got the eastern eyewall and was severely damaged, as was Lake Charles, LA.
You can view a radar loop that I made of this landfall at http://einstein.atmos.colostate.edu/~mcnoldy/tropics/rita/Rita_23-24Sep05.gif

Also, photojournalist Allan Detrich recorded a sound file during the eyewall passage in Beaumont, TX... you can listen to this short clip at http://einstein.atmos.colostate.edu/~mcnoldy/tropics/rita/rita.WAV.  In terms of rainfall, New Orleans got 6.3", Beaumont received about 9"; Center, TX got 10.5"; and the largest total is in Bunkie, LA at 16".

Elsewhere, nothing is of immediate concern as shear seems to dominate many of the classic formation zones.  However, there are active waves out there, so if conditions improve, something could form fairly quickly.

Please visit my tropical Atlantic headquarters.

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