It took my daughter 10 hours to get from Houston to Dallas last night, or should I say this morning - 3 a.m.

But that's not bad considering they are saying 15 hours from Houston this morning.

Battening down the hatches on this end as well.

I was to have been in Galveston for a convention this weekend, which is why I didn't register for the autocross, but now I don't know. I have the time but with all that's going on and everything being up in the air I'll probably skip it.

 

They're supposed to open some of the southbound lanes for northbound travel here pretty soon.

I wonder if the traffic will die down a bit late tonight.. hopefully so

 

No mater where Rita makes landfall there is a growing concern about how long it will take to travel northward. Two scenarios are displayed at accuweather.com (note:accuweather is seldom in agreement with NWS or NHC predictions/analysis)
The first scenario shows the existing high pressure zone splitting and the storm move quickly north- northeastward with heavy rains.
The second scenario leaves the high in one piece, slowing the storm or trapping it near the ArkLaTex. The storm would wander around the central and eastern portions of the state with widespread flooding and a potential for 25" rainfall.
While we're all immediately concerned with the devastating effects of the wind and storm surge along the coast there remains the possibility the rainfall could be catastrophic far inland as well. Most rainfall predictions at present are based on the high pressure "split" allowing the storm to pass. I haven't seen any detailed rainfall predictions based on the storm possibly doubling back from a stable high to our north. Should this occur there wouldn't be anywhere for the tropical airmass to go until the high weakened/moved and or a front passes through.

 

Houston traffic cameras:
http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/cameras/camtext.aspx

A lot of empty highways except for northbound I-45. The east lanes are pretty much packed. A small trickle of cars heading north on the west lanes, it seems.

 

It looks like, once again, they got us all worked up over nothing

Weathermen suck. It's the only profession I know of where you can be completely incompetent and wrong every single time and still keep your job.

 

and i'm sure you would do a much better job Its better to be wrong than to not say nothing and have people just get mowed down by a storm.Weather is unpredictable always will be ,but atleast there getting better at it.

 

Over nothing? Wait a few days and dare say that again.

 

He wouldn't have to do a better job. He could do a worse job, and still not get fired because he's a weatherman... it doesn't matter!

Seriously, though... there are too many variables in weather to be able to predict 100% accurately. At least the predictions are based on scientific models and not just someone's achey bones (though those are sometimes quite accurate too). The world will be kinda boring when we have the ability to almost perfectly predict the weather 30 days or more in advance... but I think it will happen. While there are a lot of variables, they can all be modeled with reasonable accuracy. You just need the processing power and proper algorithms to do it.

 

The levee's in NO have been breached once again and the flood waters are pouring in. A bus full of 24 seniors have caught on fire and burned down with all of the passengers in it.

This evacuation is ridiculous, IMO preparation was once again not present. Not that im saying they took too long... the evacuation from Houston is a mess. They told Houston to get out but yet half of them had to turn around due to the insane traffic problem. I guess I can give them credit for giving such an advance warning but I know MANY people who are still stuck in Houston because they couldnt get out due to gas.

 

It's already been downgraded to a category 3.... by the time it hits land it's going to be a stiff breeze.