000 WTUS84 KCRP 221806 HLSCRP GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ231>234-241>247-222300- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 100 PM CDT THU SEP 22 2005 ...RITA WEAKENS A LITTLE FURTHER BUT REMAINS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE... ...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... THE LATEST FORECAST TRACK FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER SHOWS HURRICANE RITA MAKING LANDFALL JUST EAST OF GALVESTON TEXAS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THE HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM PORT O'CONNOR SOUTH TO PORT MANSFIELD. THIS INCLUDES ALL OF THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING INCLUDES KLEBERG...NUECES...SAN PATRICIO...ARANSAS... REFUGIO AND CALHOUN COUNTIES. A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST FROM PORT O'CONNOR NORTHWARD TO SABINE PASS. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE MIDDLE TEXAS COASTAL COUNTIES OF KLEBERG...NUECES...BEE...SAN PATRICIO... REFUGIO...ARANSAS...CALHOUN...GOLIAD AND VICTORIA. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 1 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.2 WEST...OR ABOUT 530 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI. RITA CONTINUES TO MOVE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 9 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 150 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA REMAINS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE. SOME WEAKENING MAY CONTINUE TODAY...BUT RITA IS STILL EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AS A MAJOR HURRICANE OVER THE UPPER TEXAS COAST EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... .EVACUATION INFORMATION... MANDATORY EVACUATIONS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF CALHOUN...REFUGIO...GOLIAD...VICTORIA...KLEBERG...NUECES AND ARANSAS. FOR CORPUS CHRISTI...THE MAYOR HAS STOPPED THE MANDATORY EVACUATION OF THE CITY. VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS CAN STILL PROCEED. MANDATORY EVACUATION OF INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS HAS BEEN RESCINDED. THE CITY WILL CONTINUE TO EVACUATE THOSE WITHOUT MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION WHO WISH TO BE EVACUATED TO SHELTERS IN SAN ANTONIO. FOR PORT ARANSAS...OFFICIALS HAVE STOPPED THE MANDATORY EVACUATION. VOLUNTARY EVACUATION CAN STILL PROCEED IN PORT ARANSAS. FOR SAN PATRICIO COUNTY...THE MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER HAS BEEN SUSPENDED. FOR LIVE OAK COUNTY...VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS ARE IN EFFECT. ALL RESIDENTS ALONG THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST SHOULD CONTINUE TO COMPLETE THEIR PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... SWELLS FROM HURRICANE RITA ARE BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO THE OFFSHORE WATERS WITH SEAS OF 7 TO 8 FEET OCCURRING 40 TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. SEAS WILL RISE TO 8 TO 10 FEET THIS AFTERNOON AND AND REACH 12 TO 16 FEET BY FRIDAY MORNING. TIDE LEVELS ARE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST THIS MORNING. THE HIGH SWELLS AFFECTING THE COAST TONIGHT WILL PUSH TIDE LEVELS POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL ALONG AREA BEACHES. IF THE TIDES DO REACH 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL...THERE WILL BE FLOODING OF BEACHES AND BEACH ACCESS ROADS. THE PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE REPORTED THE WATER HAD REACHED THE DUNES AND REMAINS THERE THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...HIGH SWELLS WILL PRODUCE VERY ROUGH SURF AND A GREATER RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ALONG AREA BEACHES. SWIMMING OR SURFING IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. MORE SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING MAY BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING DEPENDING ON THE EXACT TRACK AND STRENGTH OF RITA. IF RITA REMAINS ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE FLOODING IMPACT WILL NOT BE AS HIGH AS PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED OVER THE TEXAS COASTAL BEND REGION. HOWEVER...IT IS STILL TOO SOON TO HAVE VERY HIGH CONFIDENCE ON THE DETAILS OF COASTAL FLOODING. AREA RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO CONTINUE MONITORING THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. ...WIND IMPACTS... BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF RITA...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS COULD REACH THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON MAINLY NORTH OF CORPUS CHRISTI TO PORT OCONNOR. THE NEXT HURRICANE STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 5 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON. $$ JR