000 WTUS84 KCRP 222134 HLSCRP GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ232>234-242>247-230200- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 430 PM CDT THU SEP 22 2005 ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE RITA HEADING TOWARD THE UPPER TEXAS COAST... ...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF CALHOUN...NUECES... SAN PATRICIO...ARANSAS...REFUGIO...GOLIAD...BEE...VICTORIA 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. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT 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 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE MIDDLE TEXAS COASTAL COUNTIES OF KLEBERG...NUECES...BEE...SAN PATRICIO... REFUGIO...ARANSAS...CALHOUN...GOLIAD AND VICTORIA. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 4 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.5 WEST...OR ABOUT 505 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 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK HURRICANE RITA WILL BE APPROACHING THE UPPER TEXAS COAST FRIDAY EVENING. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 145 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA REMAINS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... .EVACUATION INFORMATION... MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF CALHOUN...GOLIAD AND ARANSAS. VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDERS ARE IN PLACE FOR THE COASTAL BEND COUNTIES OF BEE...VICTORIA...REFUGIO...JIM WELLS AND NUECES. FOR CORPUS CHRISTI...A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDER IS IN PLACE FOR THE CITY. MANDATORY EVACUATION OF INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS HAS BEEN RESCINDED. THE CITY WILL STOP EVACUATING THOSE WITHOUT MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION WHO WISH TO BE EVACUATED AT 6 PM. FOR PORT ARANSAS...A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDER IS IN PLACE. THE BEACHES REMAIN CLOSED. FOR SAN PATRICIO COUNTY...THE MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER HAS BEEN LIFTED. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... SWELLS FROM HURRICANE RITA ARE CONTINUING TO MOVE INTO THE OFFSHORE WATERS WITH SEAS OF 8 TO 9 FEET OCCURRING 20 TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. SEAS WILL RISE TO 12 TO 16 FEET BY FRIDAY MORNING AND 20 TO 25 FEET FRIDAY AFTERNOON. TIDE LEVELS ARE AROUND A HALF OF A FOOT ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST THIS AFTERNOON FROM PORT ARANSAS NORTH TO PORT O'CONNOR. THE HIGH SWELLS AFFECTING THE COAST TONIGHT WILL OCCUR ALONG WITH THE ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDES LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THIS WILL PUSH TIDE LEVELS 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 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. 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...WITH SPEEDS OF 40 MPH TO POSSIBLY 50 MPH...COULD REACH THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON MAINLY NORTH OF CORPUS CHRISTI TO PORT OCONNOR. THE NEXT HURRICANE STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING. $$ TMT