Environment Hurricane Rita intensifies to category 5 - It's target: Galveston Texas

[XXXconanXXX]

GALVESTON, Texas - Gaining strength with frightening speed, Hurricane Rita swirled toward the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a Category 5, 165-mph behemoth — the third most intense hurricane on record — as more than 1.3 million people in Texas and Louisiana were sent packing on orders from authorities who learned a bitter lesson from Katrina.

Late Wednesday afternoon the National Hurricane Center released an advisory confirming what many were suspecting: Rita was developing into a monster.

Atmospheric pressure is measured by a barometer in metric units called millibars. The lower the atmospheric pressure inside a hurricane, the more powerful it is.

Hurricane Rita upgraded to category 5 (Published 2005)

www.nytimes.com

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I live in southwest Houston, the place the hurricane supposed to come and sweep through Houston. We're supposedly going to be in the middle of a category 1 hurricane.

 

[Sargon]

I live in southwest Houston, the place the hurricane supposed to come and sweep through Houston. We're supposedly going to be in the middle of a category 1 hurricane.

Category 1 is a barely-hurricane. You mean Category 5?

 

[The Helper]

I dont know the storm should weaken alot when hit land - by the time we get it might only be a Category 1 - right now it is a Category 4.

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Category 1 is barely anything? The winds will be like 75 mph which is enough to pick a trash bin and throw it through your window.

 

[The Helper]

Here is the Houston area forecast tomorrow night from Weather.com

Rain / Thunder / Wind Low
77° F
Precip: 100%

Very windy with bands of heavy rain showers along with some thunder. Humid. Low 77F. N winds at 40 to 60 mph, increasing to 60 to 80 mph. Rainfall over two inches.

 

[Sargon]

Category 1 is barely anything? The winds will be like 75 mph which is enough to pick a trash bin and throw it through your window.

No, I said it's a barely-hurricane. If it drops below Category 1, it's no longer a hurricane. It's obviously not barely anything, but relative to other hurricanes, it's not nearly as bad.

 

[The Helper]

Umm, the storm is Category 4. Hurricane force winds extend like 80 miles from the eyewall. When a hurricane goes under category 1 it turns into a Tropical Storm.