Rita Could Weaken,
Then Strengthen Again
Hurricane Rita's winds have diminished to about 140 mph.
Earlier, it was a Category 5, with winds as high as 175 mph.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said it may dip to a Category 3 with winds up to 130 mph, but it could regain its strength to again be a Category 4 or 5 storm.
It's about 350 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, with landfall expected late Friday or early Saturday.
The U.S. mainland has been hit by Category 5 hurricanes only three times in recorded history.
The most recent one was Andrew, which crashed into South Florida in 1992. And the United States has never been hit by both a Category 5 and a Category 4 hurricane in the same Atlantic storm season.
Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi, was a Category 4 when it struck at the end of August.
At 10 p.m. CDT, the center of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 26.2 north, longitude 89.3 west or about 350 miles southeast of Galveston, and about 310 miles southeast of Cameron, La.
Rita is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph, and a gradual turn toward the northwest is expected during the next 24 hours.
On this track, Rita will be approaching the southwest Louisiana and upper Texas coasts late Friday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph, with higher gusts.
Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next 24 hours.
Coastal storm surge flooding of 15 to 20 feet above normal tide levels, along with large and dangerous battering waves, can be expected near and to the right of where the center makes landfall.
Tides are currently running about 2 feet above normal along the Mississippi and Alabama coasts in the areas affected by Katrina.
Tides in those areas will increase up to 3 to 5 feet and be accompanied by large waves, and residents there could experience some coastal flooding.
Rainfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches with isolated maximum 15 inch total are possible along the path of Rita, particularly over southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
In addition, rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches are possible over southeastern Louisiana, including New Orleans.
Based on the forecast track, rainfall totals in excess of 25 inches are possible after Rita moves inland.
The Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast, hammered by Hurricane Katrina, could be in for more flooding, but Texas should get the worst of it.
A hurricane warning is in effect from Port O'Connor, Texas, to Morgan City, La.
A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected in the warning area within the next 24 hours.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for the southeastern coast of Louisiana east of Morgan City to the mouth of the Pearl River, including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain and from south of Port O'Connor to Port Mansfield, Texas.
A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area within the next 24 hours.
A tropical strom watch remains in effect from south of Port Mansfield to Brownsville, Texas, and for the northeastern coast of Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward to the Rio Grande.
A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 36 hours.
Mandatory evacuation orders currently cover all of Galveston, Texas, low-lying sections of Houston and Corpus Christi, and a mostly empty New Orleans. In all, about 1 million people along the Gulf Coast have been told to get moving.
The Army Corps of Engineers is racing to shore up the levee system in New Orleans.
There are concerns that additional rain could swamp the walls that have just been built back up, and the city could flood again.
Houston Mayor Bill White said people living in areas prone to flooding or threatened by a storm surge should plan to leave.
He also urged evacuation for people in mobile homes or other buildings that "common sense" would indicate are too weak for the storm.
White said businesses and schools should plan to be closed Thursday and Friday to enable people to leave.
The mayor said the government doesn't have the capacity to evacuate everyone, so people should help one another.
He added that "neighbor caring for neighbor" is the first line of defense.
White said anyone who doesn't have a car or way to get out should reach out to friends, family or neighbors, and added anyone who still can't find a ride should contact the government for help.
Texas officials have asked New Mexico's Office of Homeland Security to take hundreds, perhaps even 1,000 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, as the Gulf region braces for Rita's potential landfall.
