Reply #9: Beaumont to Lake Charles - Significant Damage & Continued Flooding....... [View All]

[GOPAgainstGW]

all the way to 25 miles west of the Texas/Louisiana State line. Northeast quadrant of Hurricane Rita on landfall was packing maximum sustained winds of 134 MPH per NOAA-NHC Recon plane over the area. With the 11 MPH forward motion that is 145 MPH or Cat 4 status in that NE quadrant of Rita that hit the Lake Charles area.

I/we have to think the refineries and O & G installations in the area, including Port Arthur, also took on significant damage.

The highest wind and wave readings observed were at NOAA-NDBC Station @ Marsh Island, LA and Bouy stations in the Gulf south of this area. On Rita's approach we saw a 46 ft wave reading at a Bouy station just south of the western LA coastline. Storm surge looks like 16-21 feet based on what data we have. Over in the Galveston Bay area and west we were also on the high side of the tide when Rita hit.