As if it could get any worse: Hurricane Rita Coming soon to a Gulf State near you!

[Kevster]

Tropical Storm Rita Nears Hurricane Strength
http://cnn.worldnews.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=CNN.com+-+Florida+Keys%A0evacuating+as%A0Rita+nears+hurricane+strength+-+Sep+19%2C+2005&expire=-1&urlID=15583640&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2005%2FWEATHER%2F09%2F19%2Ftropical.weather%2Findex.html&partnerID=2006

NOAA 3-day Cone:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/153924.shtml?3day

NOAA 5-Day Cone:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/153924.shtml?5day

[MikeD]

And with that, gas prices going back up! Yay!


NEW YORK - Crude-oil futures surged more than $4 — the biggest one-day price jump ever — amid worries that Tropical Storm Rita strengthening off the Bahamas could hit U.S. oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico later this week, striking another blow at an industry struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

The swells in crude, heating oil and gasoline futures came as OPEC ministers met to discuss how to relieve price pressures in the oil market and expressed concern that Rita would bear down on the hurricane-ravaged U.S. Gulf Coast.

Benchmark light, sweet crude for October delivery rose $4.39, or 7 percent, to settle at $67.39 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Link to whole article here (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5612507/).

[Grimm]

According to Murphy's Law... well, you can guess where it is going.

[ufcrusher]

Nope...Murphy's law states that the hurricane would be hitting just as I fly home to south Florida to watch my sister/home/pets. Hopefully this doesnt interefere with my flight Wednesday morning. I really dont want to get stuck in Texas. (DFW)

[ialsohaveadream]

You know, having joked at how wimpy Katrina was when it passed through here, I think I'll avoid comment on Rita...

By the way, holy crap we reached the letter R for hurricanes, and we've still got a few weeks left of the major part of hurricane season.

[johnnymk]

http://image.weather.com/images/maps/tropical/map_tropprjpath18_fcst_5nhato_enus_600x405.jpg

Take a look at it's path on Tuesday :rolleyes:

[ufcrusher]

http://image.weather.com/images/maps/tropical/map_tropprjpath18_fcst_5nhato_enus_600x405.jpg

Take a look at it's path on Tuesday :rolleyes:

Am I the only one missing what you are saying? It looks like a normal path.

[johnnymk]

It appears that the map is in real time and they fixed it. I thought I was taking a snapshot of a still map. Originally, they had Tuesday PM following Monday PM followed by Tuesday AM and then Wednesday AM.

[ufcrusher]

Ok, so I am not crazy.

[ialsohaveadream]

Ok, so I am not crazy.
No, you're still crazy...you were just reading the map right.

Yarrr.

[oblongmelon]

I have a sister named Rita-she's a Bitch.

[Kevster]

I have a sister named Rita-she's a Bitch.

I've only know one Rita in my life, and she was a real bitch too. I couldn't wait to see her leave.

[Gothic Girl]

By the way, holy crap we reached the letter R for hurricanes, and we've still got a few weeks left of the major part of hurricane season.
I don't get it. How are hurricanes named?

[Butch]

I don't get it. How are hurricanes named?

The first hurrican of the season starts with the letter "A" . . .the second one the letter "B" . . .

They alternate male and female names

[Nija]

The first hurrican of the season starts with the letter "A" . . .the second one the letter "B" . . .

They alternate male and female names

Experience shows that the use of short, distinctive given names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods. These advantages are especially important in exchanging detailed storm information between hundreds of widely scattered stations, coastal bases, and ships at sea.

Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms have been named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Center and now maintained and updated by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization. The lists featured only women's names until 1979, when men's and women's names were alternated. Six lists are used in rotation. Thus, the 2004 list will be used again in 2010. Here is more information on the history of naming hurricanes.

The only time that there is a change in the list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity. If that occurs, then at an annual meeting by the WMO committee (called primarily to discuss many other issues) the offending name is stricken from the list and another name is selected to replace it.

Several names have been changed since the lists were last used. Four names from the 1995 list have been retired. On the 2001 list, Lorenzo has replaced Luis, Michelle has replaced Marilyn, Olga has replaced Opal, and Rebekah has replaced Roxanne. Three names from the 1996 list have been retired. On the 2002 list, Cristobal has replaced Cesar, Fay has replaced Fran, and Hanna has replaced Hortense. Two names from the 1998 list have been retired. On the 2004 list, Gaston has replaced Georges and Matthew has replaced Mitch. On the 2006 list, Kirk has replaced Keith. Here is more information on the retirement of hurricane names.

In the event that more than 21 named tropical cyclones occur in the Atlantic basin in a season, additional storms will take names from the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and so on.

Link, including names up to 2010 (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml)

[Gothic Girl]

*snip*
Wow! Thanks Nija!

[Thesifer]

Experience shows that the use of short, distinctive given names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods. These advantages are especially important in exchanging detailed storm information between hundreds of widely scattered stations, coastal bases, and ships at sea.

Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms have been named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Center and now maintained and updated by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization. The lists featured only women's names until 1979, when men's and women's names were alternated. Six lists are used in rotation. Thus, the 2004 list will be used again in 2010. Here is more information on the history of naming hurricanes.

The only time that there is a change in the list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity. If that occurs, then at an annual meeting by the WMO committee (called primarily to discuss many other issues) the offending name is stricken from the list and another name is selected to replace it.

Several names have been changed since the lists were last used. Four names from the 1995 list have been retired. On the 2001 list, Lorenzo has replaced Luis, Michelle has replaced Marilyn, Olga has replaced Opal, and Rebekah has replaced Roxanne. Three names from the 1996 list have been retired. On the 2002 list, Cristobal has replaced Cesar, Fay has replaced Fran, and Hanna has replaced Hortense. Two names from the 1998 list have been retired. On the 2004 list, Gaston has replaced Georges and Matthew has replaced Mitch. On the 2006 list, Kirk has replaced Keith. Here is more information on the retirement of hurricane names.

In the event that more than 21 named tropical cyclones occur in the Atlantic basin in a season, additional storms will take names from the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and so on.

Link, including names up to 2010 (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml)

I didn't reread all of this.. I read most of it earlier.. but anyhow.. if this is answer sorry.. but

What happens if you have two major hurricanes with the same name? ..

Like what about when you have another cat 5 named "Andrew" .. Wouldn't that get confusing? Probably not that likely.

[Cubsfan]

I didn't reread all of this.. I read most of it earlier.. but anyhow.. if this is answer sorry.. but

What happens if you have two major hurricanes with the same name? ..

Like what about when you have another cat 5 named "Andrew" .. Wouldn't that get confusing? Probably not that likely.

Read this part:


The only time that there is a change in the list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity. If that occurs, then at an annual meeting by the WMO committee (called primarily to discuss many other issues) the offending name is stricken from the list and another name is selected to replace it.

[Kevster]

Great! Hurricane Kevster party in 2009! My name is on the eastern Pacific Hurricane list so it probably won't be removed any time soon.

[ialsohaveadream]

Great! Hurricane Kevster party in 2009! My name is on the eastern Pacific Hurricane list so it probably won't be removed any time soon.
I better get my invitation! I'm totally coming dressed as a leprechaun. I'm not sure why, though.

[johnnymk]

So is Rita going to do a number on the oil rigs like some experts are predicting?

[baggio248]

GALVESTON, Texas - Hospital and nursing home patients were evacuated and others gathered up their belongings and began clearing out Wednesday as Hurricane Rita intensified into a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds and threatened to devastate the Texas coast or already-battered Louisiana by week’s end.

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050920/050920_rita_hlg_2p.h2.jpg

[DarkFury]

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050920/050920_rita_hlg_2p.h2.jpg

Caption: "Insert IDIOT here..."

[Markel]

I was having an email exchange this morning with a customer in a southern suburb of Houston. The last message I got from him said that they were in the process of shutting down the equipment, getting the PCs off the floor, and getting out of there.

[Markel]

Caption: "Insert IDIOT here..."
That's a "Key West IDIOT". No further explanation required.

[sizemic1]

Dang..hit Cat 5 :(

I guess I'll go fill up my extra gas cans now before gas prices hit $5/gal

[esme]

I have a sister named Rita-she's a Bitch.

:lmfao: i couldn't help but laugh when i read this ......

so what we're getting here (SoCal) is what the wind's bringing over or does anyone predict that we're gonna get our own?? ...hurricane that is!

sorry, i just don't have time to watch the news right now ......


:fro:

[Kevster]

:lmfao: i couldn't help but laugh when i read this ......

so what we're getting here (SoCal) is what the wind's bringing over or does anyone predict that we're gonna get our own?? ...hurricane that is!

sorry, i just don't have time to watch the news right now ......


:fro:

The only way for Southern California can get a tropical depression or even a hurricane is during an extremely intense El Nino that would bring our ocean temps way up from their summer normal. The waters off California, if you haven't noticed before, are quite cold.

Most hurricanes in the eastern pacific are well south of us, usually around the same latitude as the tip of Baja California.

[mcs328]

Oh damn....Cat 5 with gusts up to 215mph.

[Nija]

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT18/AL1805S.GIF
:heh:

[ShawnLee]

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT18/AL1805S.GIF
:heh:
That is bad! :heh:

[zenbooty]

My younger brother just bought a house in Corpus Cristi late last year. :(

[Markel]

My younger brother just bought a house in Corpus Cristi late last year. :(
I hope he's got good insurance.

[ialsohaveadream]

That is bad! :heh:
To be fair, I bet the guys in the Keys LOVED that lewd drawing! ;)

[mcs328]

Hmmm...it looks like with even advanced warning the people in Texas are going to be screwed. The highways are backed up and they are safer going back home than wait in their cars and get tossed around.

[nickel]

That is bad! :heh:
it's a penii :gle:

[Markel]

it's a penii :gle:
Looks like the "storm surge" is going in the opposite direction that NOAA predicted! :eek: