Archive for August 28th, 2012
Concerning Report
LATE REPORT FROM THE NHC SKYWARN NE
A ship has broken loose near the LuLuing Bridge over the Mississippi River south of New Orleans. It could break through a levee. The Coast Guard and other ships are responding to help.
Isaac Hanging Around Barataria Bay
The center of Isaac appears to be describing a cyclonic loop tonight over Barataria Bay after making landfall near Southwest Pass around 6:45.
Recon reports the center is over Barataria Bay. Pressure 968 mb. Flight level winds 83 mph. Surface wind 62 mph. Eye circular, 40 nautical miles wide, ragged in nature.
The hurricane is expected to resume a northwestern motion shortly and it will make another landfall near Grand Isle. Grand Isle is under the eyewall right now and has apparently sustained significant damage. Water is waist deep there reportedly.
Satellite imagery indicates the cloud tops have warmed a little. Hopefully this means that the system will begin to slowly lose strength.
The Texas A&M/Louisiana Tech game in Shreveport Thursday night has reportedly been postponed. The Aggies will open with Florida now September 8th.
Here is the 5 day rainfall forecast from the HPC folks:
10 p.m. Update: Isaac
Hurricane Isaac has wobbled westward over the past few hours and the center is over Barataria Bay. Still holding intensity.
FAST FACTS FROM THE 10 PM ADVISORY
———————————————–
LOCATION…29.0N 89.7W
ABOUT 75 MI…120 KM SE OF HOUMA LOUISIANA
ABOUT 75 MI…120 KM SSE OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…80 MPH…130 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 310 DEGREES AT 8 MPH…13 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…968 MB…28.59 INCHES
9 PM OBSERVATIONS
…LOUISIANA…
FROM KEN GRAHAM, MIC AT NWS SLIDELL
Report from St. Charles Parish water works that the Mississippi River at Mile Marker 127 has risen 8 to 10 feet since this morning. Confirmed with RFC.
…ALABAMA MARINE
Dauphin Island tide 3.5 feet above…dropping slowly with the astronomical tide…
…FLORIDA
…Pensacola tide 3 feet above normal…falling with low tide.
NEW ORLEANS REPORTS
…I-610 underpass at Elysian Fields is flooded and impassable. Wind blwing down the barricades.
…201,000 without power in Louisiana
…10 foot surge at Shell Beach
…Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish President, reported Isaac was much worse than Gustav over the southern part of his parish. Reports he has lost his roof. He also reports that the storm surge is coming up the Mississippi River.
…A huge rainband is approaching New Orleans now.
…Winds have gusted to 67 mph at Lakefront Airport in New Orleans.
MISSISSIPPI COAST
…Tide 6.5 feet above normal at Waveland. NWS Slidell reports gage is rising rapidly now. Not good.
FROM PATRICK MARSH
WeatherBrains alum Patrick Marsh sent this picture of the OU mobile radar setup in Houma.
ELSEWHERE IN THE TROPICS
…Tropical Storm Kirk has formed in the far eastern Atlantic. No worries though. It will move out to sea.
Thank Goodness for the Dry Air
Look at this infrared satellite image of Issac
Thank goodness we had the dry air and shear holding back the intensification of this storm. It is bad enough to be a one, but what if it had been a three?
The Causeway is now closed in both directions.
ALL QUIET ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA
One feeder band is working up into Conecuh, Escambia and Covington Counties.
There is a tornado watch from southeastern Louisiana through Mississippi across southern Alabama and Northwest Florida.
8 p.m. Update: 130,000 Without Power in Louisiana
That’s the Apache Platform observation highlighted in the image above. Click to enlarge.
FAST FACTS FROM 8 PM ADVISORY
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LOCATION…29.0N 89.6W
ABOUT 30 MI…50 KM WSW OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
ABOUT 75 MI…120 KM SSE OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…80 MPH…130 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 315 DEGREES AT 8 MPH…13 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…968 MB…28.59 INCHES
NOTES
14 foot storm surge in Mississippi River at Port Sulphur.
130,000 without power now in Louisiana. Over 30,000 in New Orleans. Power just went out at the hotel we manage on the Westbank in Gretna. Gonna be a long night for folks with no power.
9.4′ above normal tide at Shell Beach. TWC reporting that is nearly up to the 9.5′ height measured in category 2 Gustav. Shows the power of a large storm.
Grand Isle C-MAN station reporting 85 mph gust.
LOCAL REPORTS FROM NWS SLIDELL
…Site 24 miles south of Venice was in the eye. Wind dropped to 9 mph at 6:36 and was 12 mph at 6:48.
…At 7:15, the Apache Platform…in the Mississippi Canyon measure a sustained wind of 83 mph gusting to 105 mph. Anemometer height 90 meters above platform elevation.
FROM PATRICK MARSH OF OU
OU SMART-R #1 (located 100 yards NW of Houma Airport’s north-south runway is measuring 85mph (38 m/s) at 700 m AGL. At surface, we’re (estimating) sustained near 50 with frequent gusts near 65.
