Bloodless Coup

Minor correction: 14/18 models have it going halfway between Galveston and Corpus Christi (Port Lavaca), or about 125-150 miles SW of downtown Houston.

Thanks for the update. I just took a quick look at the pre-10 am strike probabilities, that were pretty even across several cities, with Galveston in the middle.

what i'm seeing confirms the mid-way between galveston and CC region. i have friends who just relocated there, and bought a house two blocks from the water. one of them is a first-year intern at a local hospital. hubby and dog may evacuate, but wifey's gotta stay. how's that for a circumstance defying standard gender-driven expectations? hubby may, alternatively stay and volunteer in the same hospital.

of course, for those who fear anarchy, at least mention hubby was on his way back to the house with a second shipment of wood to board the place up. so i guess in that sense tradition prevails.

Hope they are both OK Joshua, and doggy too.

This is really bad.

RITA BECOMES THE THIRD MOST INTENSE HURRICANE ON RECORD...

DROPSONDE DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE
AIRCRAFT AT 623 PM CDT...2323Z...INDICATED THE CENTRAL PRESSURE HAS
FALLEN TO BELOW 899 MB...OR 26.55 INCHES. THE DROPSONDE INSTRUMENT
MEASURED 32 KT/35 MPH WINDS AT THE SURFACE...WHICH MEANS IT LIKELY
DID NOT RECORD THE LOWEST PRESSURE IN THE EYE OF RITA. THE CENTRAL
PRESSURE IS PROBABLY AT LEAST AS LOW AS 898 MB...AND PERHAPS EVEN
LOWER. FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES... A PRESSURE OF 898 MB IS ASSUMED...
WHICH NOW MAKES RITA THE THIRD MOST INTENSE HURRICANE IN TERMS OF
PRESSURE IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN. SOME ADDITIONAL DEEPENING AND
INTENSIFICATION IS POSSIBLE FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS OR SO.

RITA CURRENTLY RANKS BEHIND HURRICANE GILBERT IN 1988 WITH 888 MB
AND THE 1935 LABOR DAY HURRICANE WITH 892 MB.

I'm now really feeling for the girlfriend of a friend of mine - she was trapped in a hospital for days after Katrina, then Tulane sent her away to Houston to finish her residency. I think there are quite a few people who've recently relocated to Texas who really don't want to hear about, much less experience, another mega-hurricane.

Oh, and for those of you who are keeping an eye on gas prices - I don't know a thing about Texas refineries, but I presume several of those are at risk. I do know that two of the 3 or 4 biggest refineries in Louisiana are near Lake Charles, close to the Texas border.

The Weather Underground has really good analysis, and pictures. Especially on the blogs of Dr. Jeff Masters and Steve Gregory.