Twin States Weather Blog

Rita Very Scary...

* Allow me to post the latest VORTEX report from the last recon flight. Notice the remarks at the bottom:

000
URNT12 KNHC 220559
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 22/05:38:00Z
B. 24 deg 46 min N
087 deg 34 min W
C. 700 mb 2218 m
D. NA kt
E. NA deg nm
F. 139 deg 165 kt
G. 063 deg 012 nm
H. 898 mb
I. 9 C/ 3044 m
J. 28 C/ 3047 m
K. 3 C/ NA
L. CLOSED WALL
M. C16
N. 12345/ 7
O. 0.02 / 1 nm
P. AF307 1618A RITA OB 04
MAX FL WIND 165 KT NE QUAD 05:34:00 Z
FREQUENT LIGHTNING
MODERATE TURBULENCE IN EYEWALL
EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE STADIUM EFFECT IN MOONLIGHT

* That means winds at flight level (few thousand feet above the ground) were 190 mph! A truly unbelievable figure. Also note the presence of lightning - this allows those strong flight level winds to reach the surface. They also mention a stadium effect in moonlight. I can hardly imagine how that must look. The "stadium effect" is when the eyewall is bowl-shaped, arcing outward as you rise from the ocean into the atmosphere. All of this points to a very scary hurricane.

* Still awaiting the complete set of 6z model guidance. The UKMET and GFDL models have both shifted eastward...The UKMET wants to bring the system into western Louisiana, while the GFDL scores a direct hit on Houston. Still too early to lock down the track. Satellite images suggest the hurricane is doing quite a bit of wobbling.

* Will update again later this morning...

posted by WTOK Weather Staff @ 1:15 AM