well basically i see it as an across the board cover your butt, they don't have a clue is what they are is going to happen. Plus if you simply add the 3 and 4/5, you get 50% chance of a 3 to 5. We both are are splitting hairs now:) The storm will be what it will be, as Charlie last year taught NOAA they don't know as much as they thought. Charlie simply took the computer projections and gave a LOL! at them. Hurricane Charlie was a humbling experience.
"The Gulf of Mexico remains unusually warm, and conditions are ideal for Rita to be able to sustain herself as a major hurricane. Rita is entering an area with greatest heat energy in the central Gulf and will likely maintain a Category 5 strength through this region. As the storm heads to the west, the available heat energy will drop off slightly, but will still be higher than normal. In fact, the meteorologists here at AccuWeather.com are confident that Rita will have enough available heat energy from Gulf waters to come onshore as a Category 4 hurricane late Friday or early Saturday"
It is not often that we as meteorologists throw out terms like catastrophic or life-threatening. However, when dealing with a storm the magnitude of Rita, these terms are certainly appropriate. Rita will still be moving over warm water into Friday. This should allow it to still be a Category 4 storm when it makes landfall late Friday night or early Saturday. One should not focus on this timing though, as strong winds will spread well out ahead of the storm's center. Along the coast of northeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana, winds are expected to reach tropical storm strength by Friday morning, so Friday will be too late complete any necessary preparations to your home or property. These should be done by the end of Thursday. Please monitor all statements issued by your local emergency management coordinators and heed all warnings and evacuation orders. If you live within a few miles of the coast, this is NOT a storm that you want to stay and try to ride out. Story by AccuWeather.com meteorologist Gerald Mohler
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