[South Florida DX Association] Rita HWN Activates Fri

[Bill Marx]

"Extremely Dangerous" Hurricane Rita has Amateur Radio Net on Alert
>
> NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 21, 2005--As Hurricane Rita steams toward the Texas
> coast, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has tentative plans to reactivate
> Friday, September 23, at 1300 UTC on 14.325 MHz. Boasting winds of 165
MPH,
> the storm now has reached Category 5 status, according to a National
> Hurricane Center bulletin at 2000 UTC citing hurricane reconnaissance
> aircraft data. HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, said earlier that the net's
> plans could change depending on Rita's behavior.
>
> "People along the entire Gulf Coast of Texas and possibly a corner of
> Louisiana should maintain a very close watch on subsequent advisory
> information as Rita churns and strengthens across the Gulf of Mexico,"
> Pilgrim said after the HWN secured September 20. The HWN had just wrapped
> up a day and a half of operation as Rita skimmed past the Florida Keys and
> into the Gulf of Mexico.
>
> The HWN works closely with WX4NHC at the NHC to gather ground-level
weather
> data to aid forecasters in fine-tuning their reports. An NHC update
> September 20 cited "an unofficial report from a ham radio operator"
> regarding Rita's wind velocity in the Key West area. Once the HWN has
> reactivated, WX4NHC will monitor the net on 14.325 MHz as well as EchoLink
> WX-Talk Conference Room and IRLP Node 9219.
>
> Even before the storm's elevation to Category 5, the NHC was calling
> Hurricane Rita "an extremely dangerous hurricane." The NHC has issued a
> hurricane watch the Gulf of Mexico coast from Port Mansfield, Texas, to
> Cameron, Louisiana.
>
> A NOAA-18 satellite picture of Hurricane Rita as of 1900 UTC on September
21.
>
> As of 2130 UTC today, Hurricane Rita was some 700 miles east-southeast of
> Corpus Christi, Texas, and 600 southeast of Galveston, Texas, moving
> westerly at nearly 13 MPH. That motion was expected to continue for the
> next 12 to 24 hours, the NHC said. The storm could reach landfall by
> Saturday morning.
>
> "Tides are currently running near normal along the Mississippi and
> Louisiana coasts in the areas affected by Katrina," the NHC said at 2100
> UTC. "Tides in those areas will increase up to 3 to 4 feet over the next
24
> hours with large waves on top, and residents there could experience
flooding."
>
> ARES and RACES teams along the Gulf Coast already have been marshaling
> volunteers in the face of this latest severe weather threat, which, in
> addition to extreme winds, could include heavy rainfall and tornadoes.
>
> NASA says its Johnson Space Center in Houston closed at 1800 UTC today due
> to the threat posed to the Houston-Galveston area by Hurricane Rita. A
> small emergency rideout crew will remain on site. The center will not
> reopen until the storm threat has passed, NASA said.