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Hurricane Rita, one of several devastating hurricanes of the now
infamous 2005 hurricane season, made landfall across the Southwest
Louisiana coastline early on September 24, 2005 as a major
Category 3 hurricane. Just a few days before its landfall, this
large storm was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the
Gulf of Mexico – a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of
175 mph and gusts to 230 mph.
Hurricane Rita was the strongest hurricane to strike Southeast
Texas and Southwest Louisiana since Hurricane Audrey in June 1957.
Due to Rita’s large and extensive wind field, the hurricane
caused wind damage to trees, structures, and power lines in every
county and parish in the NWS Lake Charles County Warning Area (see
maps below). In addition, every coastal county and parish was
severely damaged by Rita’s storm surge – which even reached some
counties and parishes well inland from the Gulf of Mexico.
Due to
Hurricane Rita's large size, its winds covered an unusually large
area when the storm made landfall. An approximately 130 mile
swath along the coasts of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana
likely experienced sustained hurricane force winds in association
with Rita. Severe wind damage affected many areas, including the
cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, and Lake Charles. The
remainder of the area experienced tropical storm force wind gusts
for numerous hours. As the hurricane moved inland across
Southeast Texas, the hurricane-force wind field weakened and
narrowed considerably. However, considerable wind damage still
occurred across the Lakes region of Southeast Texas, including the
cities of Jasper and Kirbyville.
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www.nws.noaa.gov 
