000 WWUS74 KHGX 222257 NPWHGX URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 556 PM CDT THU SEP 22 2005 .INLAND HURRICANE WATCH IN EFFECT... AN INLAND HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR AUSTIN...BRAZOS... BURLESON...COLORADO...FORT BEND...GRIMES...HOUSTON...JACKSON... MADISON...MONTGOMERY...POLK...SAN JACINTO...TRINITY...WALKER... WALLER...WASHINGTON...AND WHARTON. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST BY LATE FRIDAY EVENING AND THEN PUSH INLAND FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. .INLAND HURRICANE WARNING FOR HARRIS...LIBERTY... CHAMBERS...GALVESTON...BRAZORIA...MATAGORDA AND JACKSON COUNTIES.... HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST BY LATE FRIDAY EVENING AND THEN PUSH INLAND FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. TXZ163-164-176>179-195>199-210>212-226-227-231000- AUSTIN-BRAZOS-BURLESON-COLORADO-FORT BEND-GRIMES-HOUSTON-MADISON- MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON-WHARTON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BRENHAM...BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION... CALDWELL...COLDSPRING...COLUMBUS...CONROE...CROCKETT...EL CAMPO... WHARTON...GROVETON...TRINITY...HEMPSTEAD...HUNTSVILLE...LIVINGSTON... CORRIGAN...MADISONVILLE...NAVASOTA...RICHMOND...SUGARLAND...SEALY... BELLVILLE 556 PM CDT THU SEP 22 2005 AN INLAND HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THIS MEANS SUSTAINED WINDS GREATER THAN 74 MPH ARE POSSIBLE OVER ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. AN INLAND HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS. THE INLAND HURRICANE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... AUSTIN...BRAZOS...BURLESON...COLORADO...FORT BEND...GRIMES... HOUSTON...JACKSON...MADISON...MONTGOMERY...POLK...SAN JACINTO... TRINITY...WALKER...WALLER...WASHINGTON...AND WHARTON. HURRICANE RITA WAS IN THE CENTRAL GULF THIS AFTERNOON AND IS FORECAST TO MOVE WEST-NORTHWEST. RITA IS FORECAST TO REACH THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COASTAL COUNTIES EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AND SPREAD INLAND THROUGHOUT THE DAY SATURDAY. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE... MOBILE HOMES AND HOUSES OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION MAY RECEIVE DAMAGE. WELL CONSTRUCTED HOUSES MAY INCUR MINOR DAMAGE TO SHINGLES... SIDING...GUTTERS...AND BLOWN OUT WINDOWS. ROOF DAMAGE IS POSSIBLE AT INDUSTRIAL PARKS...ESPECIALLY TO THOSE BUILDINGS WITH LIGHT WEIGHT STEEL AND ALUMINUM COVERINGS. OLDER LOW RISING APARTMENT ROOFS MAY ALSO BE AFFECTED...AS WELL AS RECEIVING SIDING AND SHINGLE DAMAGE. AIRBORNE DEBRIS MAY CAUSE DAMAGE... INJURY...AND POSSIBLE FATALITIES. NATURAL DAMAGE... TREES WITH ROTTING BASES MAY UPROOT OR SNAP. SMALL TO MEDIUM BRANCHES COULD SNAP. PERSONS IN THE REGION SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO SECURE TRASH CANS...LAWN FURNITURE...AND OTHER LOOSE OR LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS. HIGH WINDS CAN TOPPLE TREES...BLOW WEAKENED ROOFS OFF HOUSES...AND DOWN POWER LINES. HURRICANE RITA IS COMPARABLE TO HURRICANE CARLA OF 1961...THE LAST DESTRUCTIVE CATEGORY 4 STORM TO HIT THE UPPER TEXAS COAST. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION CONCERNING HURRICANE RITA. $$ TXZ200-213-214-235>238-231000- BRAZORIA-CHAMBERS-GALVESTON-HARRIS-JACKSON-LIBERTY-MATAGORDA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ANAHUAC...ANGLETON...PEARLAND...BAY CITY... EDNA...HOUSTON...PASADENA...LIBERTY...TEXAS CITY...GALVESTON 556 PM CDT THU SEP 22 2005 ...INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR HARRIS...LIBERTY... CHAMBERS...GALVESTON...BRAZORIA...MATAGORDA AND JACKSON COUNTIES.... AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING MEANS SUSTAINED WINDS GREATER THAN 74 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. HURRICANE RITA WAS IN THE CENTRAL GULF THIS AFTERNOON AND IS FORECAST TO MOVE WEST-NORTHWEST. RITA IS FORECAST TO REACH THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COASTAL COUNTIES EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AND SPREAD INLAND THROUGHOUT THE DAY SATURDAY. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE... THE MAJORITY OF MOBILE HOMES MAY BE SEVERELY DAMAGED. THOSE THAT SURVIVE COULD BE UNINHABITABLE. HOUSES OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION MAY RECEIVE MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING PARTIAL WALL COLLAPSE AND ROOFS BEING LIFTED OFF. MANY COULD BE UNINHABITABLE. WELL CONSTRUCTED HOUSES MAY INCUR MINOR DAMAGE TO SHINGLES...SIDING... GUTTERS...AND BLOWN OUT WINDOWS. UP TO ONE QUARTER OF GABLED ROOFS MAY FAIL. PARTIAL ROOF FAILURE IS POSSIBLE AT INDUSTRIAL PARKS...ESPECIALLY TO THOSE BUILDINGS WITH LIGHT WEIGHT STEEL AND ALUMINUM COVERINGS. OLDER LOW RISING APARTMENT ROOFS MAY ALSO BE TORN OFF...AS WELL AS RECEIVING SIDING AND SHINGLE DAMAGE. UP TO ONE QUARTER OF ALL GLASS IN HIGH RISE OFFICE BUILDINGS MAY BE BLOWN OUT. AIRBORNE DEBRIS MAY CAUSE DAMAGE...INJURY...AND POSSIBLE FATALITIES. FOR SUSTAINED WINDS OF 70 TO 90 MPH WITH GUSTS 100 TO 110 MPH... VERY DANGEROUS WINDS WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE. DESTRUCTION OF MOBILE HOMES ARE LIKELY! NATURAL DAMAGE... ALL TREES WITH ROTTING BASES MAY UPROOT OR SNAP. NEARLY ALL LARGE BRANCHES SHOULD SNAP. BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND ONE HALF OF HEALTHY SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED TREES MAY BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. PERSONS IN THE REGION SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO SECURE TRASH CANS...LAWN FURNITURE...AND OTHER LOOSE OR LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS. HIGH WINDS CAN TOPPLE TREES...BLOW WEAKENED ROOFS OFF HOUSES...AND DOWN POWER LINES. HURRICANE RITA IS COMPARABLE TO HURRICANE CARLA OF 1961...THE LAST DESTRUCTIVE CATEGORY 4 STORM TO HIT THE UPPER TEXAS COAST. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION CONCERNING HURRICANE RITA. $$