000 WTUS84 KCRP 231800 HLSCRP GMZ235-255-275-TXZ233-234-244>247-232300- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 100 PM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005 ...HURRICANE RITA WEAKENS SLIGHTLY BUT STILL A DANGEROUS HURRICANE HEADING TOWARDS THE UPPER TEXAS COAST... ...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF ARANSAS...CALHOUN... GOLIAD...REFUGIO...SAN PATRICIO AND VICTORIA COUNTIES... ...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT... THE LATEST FORECAST TRACK FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER CONTINUES TO SHOW HURRICANE RITA MAKING LANDFALL ACROSS THE EXTREME UPPER TEXAS COAST BY SATURDAY MORNING. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM PORT O'CONNOR TO PORT ARANSAS. THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING INCLUDES ARANSAS... CALHOUN...REFUGIO...AND EXTREME EASTERN SAN PATRICIO COUNTY. THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING SOUTH OF PORT ARANSAS TO PORT MANSFIELD HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST INCLUDING ARANSAS...CALHOUN...GOLIAD... REFUGIO...AND VICTORIA COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 1 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 91.9 WEST...OR ABOUT 320 MILES EAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI. RITA CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH. THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK... MOST OF THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE RITA WILL REMAIN WELL NORTH OF THE COASTAL BEND OF TEXAS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE NEAR 125 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RITA REMAINS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... ...EVACUATION INFORMATION... A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDER IS IN EFFECT FOR LOW LYING AREAS OF CALHOUN COUNTY. A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDER IS IN EFFECT FOR VICTORIA COUNTY. BEACHES ALONG THE BARRIER ISLANDS...FROM PORT ARANSAS TO THE PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE REMAIN CLOSED. ALL OTHER MANDATORY AND VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDERS HAVE BEEN LIFTED. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... LONG PERIOD SWELLS FROM HURRICANE RITA ARE CONTINUING TO MOVE INTO THE OFFSHORE WATERS WITH SEAS OF 15 TO 18 FEET OCCURRING 20 TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE UP TO 20 TO 22 FEET THIS EVENING OFFSHORE. TIDE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING ONE TO TWO FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL ALONG THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST...FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. WATER REMAINS UP TO THE DUNES IN SOME LOCATIONS ON THE BARRIER ISLANDS...INCLUDING PORT ARANSAS AND THE PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE. ALSO...WATER HAS BEEN REPORTED INTO THE DITCHES ON OCEAN DRIVE IN MAGNOLIA BEACH. THE WATER WILL LIKELY REMAIN AT THESE LEVELS THROUGH LOW TIDE TODAY. THEN...DURING HIGH TIDE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING...TOTAL TIDE LEVELS AS HIGH AS 2 TO 3 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL IN THE BAYS AND 3 TO 4 FEET ALONG THE GULF SIDE OF THE BARRIER ISLANDS WILL GENERALLY OCCUR. THIS WILL RESULT IN FLOODING OF BEACHES AND BEACH ACCESS ROADS. HOWEVER...HIGHER TIDE LEVELS OF 4 TO 5 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL WILL BE POSSIBLE AT PORT OCONNOR AND PORTIONS OF MATAGORDA ISLAND TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. THIS WILL CAUSE SHALLOW FLOODING OF SOME AREAS IN PORT OCONNOR. SOME LOW LYING AREAS OF MAGNOLIA BEACH WILL ALSO BE FLOODED. IN ADDITION...PORTIONS OF MATAGORDA ISLAND WILL BE FLOODED AS WELL AS AREAS OF THE ARANSAS WILDLIFE REFUGE. SOME FLOODING IN THE INDIANOLA AREA WILL ALSO OCCUR. IN ADDITION...LARGE BREAKING WAVES WILL PRODUCE VERY ROUGH SURF AND A GREATER RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ALONG AREA BEACHES. SWIMMING OR SURFING IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. ...WIND IMPACTS... BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF RITA...THE HIGHEST WINDS LATER TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO BE CONFINED TO THE EXTREME NORTHERN PORTION OF THE COASTAL BEND REGION. SUSTAINED WINDS COULD REACH 25 TO 35 MPH BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING MAINLY OVER VICTORIA AND CALHOUN COUNTIES... WITH GUSTS TO 40 TO 45 MPH...ESPECIALLY WITHIN SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXTREME OUTER RAINBANDS OF RITA. ...RAINFALL... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE OFFSHORE GULF WATERS BEYOND 20 NM LATER THIS AFTERNOON...AND THEN POSSIBLY OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN COASTAL BEND TOWARD THIS EVENING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ONE QUARTER INCH THROUGH THIS EVENING. BETTER CHANCES FOR RAINFALL WILL OCCUR TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY...AGAIN MAINLY OVER THE EXTREME NORTHERN COASTAL BEND. TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ONE HALF INCH OR LESS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...MAINLY ACROSS VICTORIA AND CALHOUN COUNTIES. THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 5 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON. $$ JR