...RITA BECOMES THE THIRD MOST INTENSE HURRICANE ON RECORD... < 899mb!!!!

[Mr_Spock]

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCUAT3+shtml/212146.shtml?

000
WTNT63 KNHC 212351
TCUAT3
HURRICANE RITA TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
650 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005

...RITA BECOMES THE THIRD MOST INTENSE HURRICANE ON RECORD...

DROPSONDE DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE
AIRCRAFT AT 623 PM CDT...2323Z...INDICATED THE CENTRAL PRESSURE HAS
FALLEN TO BELOW 899 MB...OR 26.55 INCHES. THE DROPSONDE INSTRUMENT
MEASURED 32 KT/35 MPH WINDS AT THE SURFACE...WHICH MEANS IT LIKELY
DID NOT RECORD THE LOWEST PRESSURE IN THE EYE OF RITA. THE CENTRAL
PRESSURE IS PROBABLY AT LEAST AS LOW AS 898 MB...AND PERHAPS EVEN
LOWER. FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES... A PRESSURE OF 898 MB IS ASSUMED...
WHICH NOW MAKES RITA THE THIRD MOST INTENSE HURRICANE IN TERMS OF
PRESSURE IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN. SOME ADDITIONAL DEEPENING AND
INTENSIFICATION IS POSSIBLE FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS OR SO.

RITA CURRENTLY RANKS BEHIND HURRICANE GILBERT IN 1988 WITH 888 MB
AND THE 1935 LABOR DAY HURRICANE WITH 892 MB.

FORECASTER STEWART

$$

All I can say is - HOLY SHIT!!!!!

[DIKB]

1. I have family in Houston

Who may very well be evacuating and coming to stay with us for some time. On the bright side, it just means a LOT more Mexican home cooking, lol

[phusion]

12. mmmm...

Don't remind me. :)

[Lorien]

28. Me too

I hope they're all packed up and on their way!

[annabanana]

2. Oh dear Lord, , ,

I really hope it lightens up a lot before landfall...

[AlCzervik]

3. Can you explain the 899mb? if that number gets lower does that mean

it's getting weaker or stronger. Thanks.

[NYC]

5. Lower number is stronger storm.

[Mr_Spock]

24. Yeah, less pressure is a stronger storm. Record is 888 by Gilbert

This is a big storm - let's hope it burns itself out...

[strategery blunder]

4. This thread is a DUPE!

Umm...never mind. I am keeping the subject line as evidence of my mistake, because, unlike a certain pResident, I admit my mistakes.

[dolo amber]

8. Getting credit's super important at a time like this

:patriot:

[Fenris]

10. That's kind of a shit thing to claim credit for.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Except your thread was 4 minutes later ...

;-)

[Mr_Spock]

16. ?

Yeah, what's up with that? Having fun I guess :D

[crispini]

20. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

:rofl:

Way to go!

[Beware the Beast Man]

21. And we're all real freakin' proud for you.

:eyes:

[Botany]

6. it used to be that a storm this big would take all the

way from Africa to build it's strength ...... now thanks to GLOBAL WARMING
300 to 400 miles in the Caribbean is all that it needs.

Those other storms came every 20 years or so ..... now they are coming like
clock work.

btw in our real President wrote about this in his book.

[politicaholic]

7. Global warming is a myth...

I'm not a scientist, but I do wear very intelligent looking glasses and I heard somewhere (somewhere newsy and informolicious) that the Earth isn't getting warmer from car drivin' and Corpro-puffin', but because of cow farts...

oh, and God wants us all to have a nice warm vacation. Isn't that nice of him? That's why he's God.

[nankerphelge]

13. Speaking of God...

have any of the fundies weighed in on why God is going to punish Texas yet? They were pretty smug in saying why God hated New Orleans (http://www.repentamerica.com/pr_hurricanekatrina.html) but had to stretch for all the collateral damage, e.g. it was God's way of telling us we had to win the war on terror. (http://mediamatters.org/items/200509130004). I'm sure they'll come up with something.

[Mr_Spock]

15. We'll have to see what Satan Robertson says

It'll probably fizzle out and he'll claim some sort of victory knowing that Satan worshipping violent, hating monster.

[I Have A Dream]

30. They'll probably say that it's because they were willing to take...

in the sinners from New Orleans. :sarcasm: (By helping their fellow Americans, they brought it on themselves. Never interfere with God's will!) (big time :sarcasm:, but I could see them saying this if they're really looking for some way to justify it.)

[DemsUnited]

9. Thought I saw a post that a high intensity hurrican will burn itself out

Since Rita is still a few days away from landfall, is this a possible scenario?

[Mr_Spock]

11. My intuition is telling me this one might fizzle out

But I wouldn't want to tell that to someone in it's path!!! Just a gut feeing I have...

[HeeBGBz]

23. Mine tells me different

I get the feeling it's gonna slam the Texas coast like a bull freight train. Katrina's hellion sister Rita.

I hope you're right.

[Mr_Spock]

27. I hope I'm right too

We're all gonna pay for a major disaster - in human life and a badly damaged economy...

[Zynx]

18. Highly intense hurricanes can destroy their own eyewalls.

Let's hope that happens here although that would make it a really big messy tropical storm.

[OneTwentyoNine]

26. Nope,not until the fuel source is gone,that happens over land....

The Gulf is a great breeding ground,lots of warm water to build and build.....

[spuddonna]

17. HOLY CRAP!!!

Oh man... What's scary is this:"SOME ADDITIONAL DEEPENING AND
INTENSIFICATION IS POSSIBLE FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS OR SO."

yikes... I hope people are getting out NOW!!! :(

[DemocracyInaction]

19. Maybe God's going to keep making the storms stronger and more

deadly until the arrogant fuckheads in this country who claim to be Christian stop strutting around and telling people who God hates. Wise up, you useless mutherfuckers---he HATES you and your stinking hypocracy!!!

[louis c]

22. CNN Accuweather

is reporting that Rita is over 180 MPH by their estimates.

no firm data, just by satellite imagery and pressure estimates.

[HeeBGBz]

29. Shit meet fan

Run.

[Blue_Roses]

25. simply unbelievable

:wow: