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WWUS74 KHGX 232209
NPWHGX

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
508 PM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

...HURRICANE RITA FORECAST TO BRING HURRICANE FORCE WINDS TO
SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...

.HURRICANE RITA'S OUTER RAIN BANDS ARE MAKING LANDFALL ALONG THE UPPER
TEXAS COAST THIS EVENING. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH
THE COASTAL COUNTIES AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND SPREAD INLAND
THROUGHOUT THE DAY SATURDAY.

TXZ163-164-177>179-199-200-213-214-237-238-241000-
BRAZORIA-CHAMBERS-GALVESTON-HARRIS-HOUSTON-LIBERTY-MONTGOMERY-POLK-
SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ANAHUAC...ANGLETON...PEARLAND...
COLDSPRING...CONROE...CROCKETT...GROVETON...TRINITY...HOUSTON...
PASADENA...HUNTSVILLE...LIBERTY...LIVINGSTON...CORRIGAN...
TEXAS CITY...GALVESTON
508 PM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

...INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR BRAZORIA...CHAMBERS...
GALVESTON...HARRIS...HOUSTON...LIBERTY...MONTGOMERY...POLK...
SAN JACINTO...TRINITY...AND WALKER COUNTIES....

AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE
CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

AT 4 PM CDT...HURRICANE RITA WAS IN THE NORTHWESTERN GULF AND IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH. RITA IS FORECAST TO
REACH THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE LATE TONIGHT
INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS HAVE REACHED THE COAST LATE THIS
AFTERNOON. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL THEN BEGIN AROUND OR SHORTLY
AFTER MIDNIGHT AND THEN SPREAD INLAND THROUGHOUT THE DAY SATURDAY.

FOR INLAND PORTIONS OF CHAMBERS AND LIBERTY COUNTIES...SUSTAINED
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 85 TO 95 MPH RANGE WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.

FOR SUSTAINED WINDS OF 90 TO 110 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 120 MPH:
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WINDS WILL CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE...ALL MOBILE
HOMES WILL BE DESTROYED!

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...
HOUSES OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL BE DESTROYED OR SEVERELY
DAMAGED. MODERATE TO MAJOR DAMAGE OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOUSES WILL
INCLUDE FAILURE OF UP TO ONE HALF OF ALL GABLED ROOFS. IN ADDITION...
UP TO ONE QUARTER OF EXTERIOR WALLS WILL FAIL.

ALUMINUM AND LIGHT WEIGHT STEEL ROOFS WILL BE TORN OFF BUILDINGS AT
INDUSTRIAL PARKS. PARTIAL ROOF AND EXTERIOR WALL FAILURES ARE LIKELY
AT LOW RISE APARTMENT BUILDINGS...ESPECIALLY THOSE OF POOR TO AVERAGE
CONSTRUCTION. MOST WINDOWS IN HIGH RISE OFFICE BUILDINGS WILL BE BLOWN
OUT...WITH OTHER MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE POSSIBLE DUE TO SWAYING.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE WEIGHT WILL CAUSE ADDITIONAL
MAJOR DAMAGE...AS WELL AS INJURIES AND A FEW FATALITIES.

NEAR TOTAL POWER LOSS IS EXPECTED. UP TO ONE HALF OF ALL POWER POLES
WILL BE KNOCKED DOWN...AND HUNDREDS OF TRANSFORMERS WILL POP. THE
AVAILABILITY OF POTABLE WATER WILL BE DIMINISHED AS FILTRATION SYSTEMS
BEGIN TO FAIL.

NATURAL DAMAGE...
THOUSANDS OF TREES WILL BE SEVERELY DAMAGED. UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF
ALL HEALTHY SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED TREES WILL SNAP OR BE UPROOTED...
MOST COMMON ON SATURATED GROUND. UP TO ONE HALF OF HEALTHY LARGE TREES
WILL SNAP OR BE UPROOTED.  MOST NEWLY PLANTED GROUND CROPS WILL BE
WIPED OUT. LIVESTOCK LEFT OUTSIDE WILL BE INJURED...SOME CRITICALLY. A
FEW LIVESTOCK DEATHS ARE LIKELY.

ELSEWHERE IN THE INLAND HURRICANE WARNING AREA...SUSTAINED WINDS
ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED TO 60 TO 75 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 95 MPH CAN BE
EXPECTED...

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...
IN THIS WIND FIELD POORLY CONSTRUCTED OR UNSECURED MOBILE HOMES WILL
BE DESTROYED. OTHERS WILL HAVE SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WALLS...
AND WINDOWS...AND WILL LIKELY BE UNINHABITABLE UNTIL REPAIRED. HOUSES
OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL HAVE PARTIAL WALL AND ROOF
FAILURE...AS WELL AS BLOWN OUT WINDOWS. MOST LANAI SCREENS AND POOLS
CAGES WILL HAVE DAMAGE...SOME WILL BE DESTROYED. UNSECURED LIGHT TO
MODERATE WEIGHT OUTDOOR ITEMS WILL BECOME PROJECTILES...CAUSING
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND PERHAPS INJURY. MANY AREAS WILL HAVE POWER
OUTAGES...HUNDREDS OF WIRES WILL FALL...TRANSFORMERS WILL POP...AND
SOME POWER POLES WILL BE PULLED DOWN.

NATURAL DAMAGE...
ROTTING LARGE TREES WILL BE UPROOTED...MOST COMMON ON SATURATED
GROUND. NUMEROUS LARGE BRANCHES OF HEALTHY TREES WILL SNAP. UP TO ONE
HALF OF NEWLY PLANTED CROPS WILL BE DAMAGED.

PERSONS IN THE REGION SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO SECURE TRASH CANS...LAWN
FURNITURE...AND OTHER LOOSE OR LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS. HIGH
WINDS CAN TOPPLE TREES...BLOW WEAKENED ROOFS OFF HOUSES...AND DOWN
POWER LINES.

HURRICANE RITA IS COMPARABLE TO HURRICANE ALICIA OF 1983 AS FAR AS
THE EXPECTED INTENSITY. ALICIA WAS THE LAST DESTRUCTIVE CATEGORY 3
STORM TO HIT THE UPPER TEXAS COAST.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION CONCERNING HURRICANE RITA.

$$

TXZ176-195>198-210>212-226-227-235-236-241000-
AUSTIN-BRAZOS-BURLESON-COLORADO-FORT BEND-GRIMES-JACKSON-MADISON-
MATAGORDA-WALLER-WASHINGTON-WHARTON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BAY CITY...BRENHAM...
BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION...CALDWELL...COLUMBUS...EDNA...EL CAMPO...
WHARTON...HEMPSTEAD...MADISONVILLE...NAVASOTA...RICHMOND...
SUGARLAND...SEALY...BELLVILLE
508 PM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR AUSTIN...
BRAZOS...BURLESON...COLORADO...FORT BEND...GRIMES...JACKSON...
MADISON...MATAGORDA...WALLER...WASHINGTON...AND WHARTON COUNTIES...

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
TROPICAL STORM FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE TROPICAL STORM
FORCE...ARE CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

AS OF 4 PM CDT...HURRICANE RITA WAS IN THE NORTHWESTERN GULF AND
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING NORTHWEST AT AROUND 10 MPH. RITA IS
FORECAST TO REACH THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE LATE
TONIGHT OR EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REACH THE COASTAL COUNTIES
BY EARLY THIS EVENING...THEN SPREAD INLAND TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.

FOR WIND 50 TO 60 MPH WITH GUSTS 70 TO 80 MPH:

DAMAGING WINDS EXPECTED.

MOST MOBILE HOMES WILL EXPERIENCE MODERATE TO SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. SOME
OF POOR CONSTRUCTION WILL BE UNINHABITABLE UNTIL REPAIRED. HOUSES OF
POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL HAVE DAMAGE TO SHINGLES...SIDING...
AND GUTTERS. SOME WINDOWS WILL BE BLOWN OUT. MANY LANAI SCREENS AND
POOL CAGES WILL BE DAMAGED.  UNFASTENED HOME ITEMS OF LIGHT TO
MODERATE WEIGHT WILL BECOME AIRBORNE...CAUSING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND
POSSIBLE INJURY. DOZENS OF WIRES WILL BE BLOWN DOWN. LOCAL POWER
OUTAGES WILL AFFECT ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS.

MANY LARGE BRANCHES OF HEALTHY TREES WILL BE SNAPPED...AND ROTTING
SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED TREES WILL BE UPROOTED.

FOR WIND 40 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS 60 TO 65 MPH:

MINOR DAMAGE WILL OCCUR TO MANY MOBILE HOMES. POORLY CONSTRUCTED HOMES
MAY RECEIVE SOME WALL DAMAGE AND PARTIAL ROOF REMOVAL. A FEW HOUSES
MAY HAVE MINOR DAMAGE TO ROOF SHINGLES AND SIDING. A FEW POOL CAGES
AND LANAI SCREENS WILL BE DAMAGED. UNSECURED LIGHTWEIGHT ITEMS MAY
BECOME PROJECTILES...CAUSING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE. SOME ELECTRICAL WIRES
WILL BE BLOWN DOWN...AND LOCAL POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY.

MOST NEWLY PLANTED TREES AND SHRUBS WILL BE DAMAGED OR UPROOTED. SOME
ROTTING SMALL TREES WILL BE UPROOTED...AND ROTTEN LARGE BRANCHES WILL
SNAP. NUMEROUS SMALL TWIGS WILL SEPARATE FROM TREES.

PERSONS IN THE REGION SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO SECURE TRASH CANS...LAWN
FURNITURE...AND OTHER LOOSE OR LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS. HIGH WINDS
CAN TOPPLE TREES...BLOW WEAKENED ROOFS OFF HOUSES...AND DOWN POWER
LINES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION CONCERNING HURRICANE RITA.

$$