National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Hurricane Rita roared ashore near the Texas and Louisiana border during the pre-dawn hours of September 24, 2005. Rita was the strongest hurricane to strike Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana since Hurricane Audrey in June, 1957. Preliminary information suggests that Rita was comparable to Audrey in many ways, and perhaps worse in that the effects were felt across a larger area. A lot has changed in the 48 years since Audrey, and many lessons have been learned from her and other disasters that have affected this area during that time.

Hurricane Rita caused seven direct fatalities, three in the WFO Lake Charles county warning area. At least 55 indirect fatalities were associated with the evacuation and aftermath of Hurricane Rita, including six individuals in Beaumont, Texas who succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning when they used a generator inside their building.  Although any loss of life is tragic, these numbers stand in stark contrast to the hundreds of lives lost due to Hurricane Audrey. Clearly, the improvements made to emergency preparedness and response to warnings have made a difference. The National Weather Service in Lake Charles looks forward to continuing and strengthening the partnerships we have formed with local emergency management, local media, and the residents of this region.

This section of our webpage has been created to provide the residents of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana information about Hurricane Rita and its affect on the area. Below are some links that will bring you to pages with additional information of interest, along with a collection of image galleries (listed below) with pictures taken by the office staff.

We would like to extend our condolences to those who have and continue to suffer as a result of this destructive hurricane.