000
WTUS84 KCRP 220630
HLSCRP
GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ231>234-241>247-221000-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
130 AM CDT THU SEP 22 2005

...RITA MAINTAINS CATEGORY FIVE STRENGTH...

...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF CALHOUN...NUECES...SAN
PATRICIO...ARANSAS...REFUGIO...GOLIAD...VICTORIA...LIVE OAK...JIM
WELLS AND KLEBERG COUNTIES...

...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE TEXAS COAST FROM PORT
MANSFIELD TO SABINE PASS INCLUDING ALL OF THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST
FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. THE HURRICANE WATCH IS IN
EFFECT FOR KLEBERG...NUECES...SAN PATRICIO...ARANSAS...REFUGIO
AND CALHOUN COUNTIES.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE
COASTAL BEND AND MID COAST REGION TODAY.

...STORM INFORMATION...

.LOCATION...
AT 1 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 24.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 87.6 WEST...OR ABOUT 650 MILES EAST-
SOUTHEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI.

.MOVEMENT...
HURRICANE RITA CONTINUES MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 9 MPH. RITA IS
EXPECTED TO TURN MORE WEST NORTHWEST BY THIS AFTERNOON.

.INTENSITY...
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN TO NEAR 175 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. RITA IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE. SOME
FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.EVACUATION INFORMATION...

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS HAVE BEEN DECLARED FOR ALL
COASTAL COUNTIES BETWEEN BAFFIN BAY AND PORT O'CONNOR. THE
COASTAL COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE...CALHOUN...REFUGIO...
ARANSAS...SAN PATRICIO...NUECES...AND KLEBERG. THE CITY MANAGER OF
CORPUS CHRISTI WOULD LIKE FOR THE CITY TO BE EVACUATED BY FRIDAY AT
NOON.

FOR GOLIAD COUNTY...VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS ARE IN EFFECT. A
MANDATORY EVACUATION WILL BE DECLARED AT 10 AM THURSDAY MORNING.

FOR LIVE OAK COUNTY...VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS ARE IN EFFECT.

ALL RESIDENTS ALONG THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST SHOULD BE IN THE PROCESS
OF COMPLETING THEIR PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND
PROPERTY.

...SCHOOL AND GOVERNMENT CLOSINGS...

ALL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
HAVE CANCELED CLASSES FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...NUECES...SAN
PATRICIO...REFUGIO...ARANSAS...CALHOUN AND VICTORIA.

CLASSES HAVE BEEN CANCELED FOR TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI...DEL MAR
COLLEGE...COASTAL BEND COLLEGE...VICTORIA COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY
OF HOUSTON IN VICTORIA.

THE COMMANDER OF NAVY REGION SOUTH HAS ORDERED EVACUATION OF
NAVAL STATION INGLESIDE...AND NAVAL AIR STATIONS CORPUS CHRISTI AND
KINGSVILLE.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...

TIDE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY NEAR NORMAL ALONG THE MIDDLE TEXAS
COAST. HIGH SWELLS FROM HURRICANE RITA WILL AFFECT THE COAST BY
LATER TODAY. TIDE LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 3 FEET ABOVE
MEAN SEA LEVEL ALONG AREA BEACHES...NEAR THE TIME OF ASTRONOMICAL
HIGH TIDE...BY THIS EVENING. THIS WILL CAUSE WATER TO FLOOD BEACHES
AND BEACH ACCESS ROADS. IN ADDITION...HIGH SWELLS WILL PRODUCE A
GREATER RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ALONG AREA BEACHES AND
SWIMMING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

MORE SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING IS EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT AND
SATURDAY MORNING AS WATER LEVELS CONTINUE TO RISE WITH THE APPROACH
OF HURRICANE RITA.

...WIND IMPACTS...

BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF RITA...TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST BY MID MORNING
FRIDAY. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE TO HURRICANE FORCE BY FRIDAY
NIGHT...PRIMARILY NORTH OF PORT ARANSAS.

THE NEXT HURRICANE STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 500 AM CDT
THURSDAY MORNING.

$$

RFM