POST TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT...HURRICANE RITA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
545 PM CDT TUE OCT 4 2005
A. WIND DATA...
LOCATION SUSTAINED 2-MIN WINDS MAX WIND GUSTS
(MPH) (MPH)
ASOS/AWOS
GREENVILLE 36 47
(KGLH)
GREENWOOD 30* 47*
(KGWO)
COLUMBUS 26 39
(KGTR)
COLUMBUS AFB 26 36
(KCBM)
TALULLAH-VICKSBURG 33* 48*
(KTVR)
JACKSON HAWKINS 30 44
(KHKS)
JACKSON INTL 26 38
(KJAN)
MERIDIAN KEY 26 41
(KMEI)
NATCHEZ 30* 46*
(KHEZ)
PINE BELT-JONES 24 35
(KPIB)
HATTIESBURG 28 38
(KHBG)
LSU MESONET
NEWTON MS 23 44
ST JOSEPH-TENSAS LA 35 42
WINNSBORO-FRANKLIN LA 42 49
RAWS
BUDE-FRANKLIN MS 40
COPIAH 38
TOMBIGBEE-CHOCTAW
HOLMES 30
DELTA RD-SHARKEY 30
HIGHWAY 43-MADISON
NESHOBA 32
WARREN
BIENVILLE-SCOTT 34
LAUDERDALE 54
COVINGTON 32
MARION
*DENOTES SOME MISSING DATA DUE TO POWER OUTAGES
B. SEA LEVEL PRESSURE DATA...
NOT APPLICABLE
C. STORM TOTAL RAIN AMOUNTS...
ASOS
GREENVILLE 6.81
GREENWOOD 3.39 *
COLUMBUS 2.64
COLUMBUS AFB 3.32
TALLULAH-VICKSBURG 2.16 *
JACKSON HAWKINS 2.66
JACKSON INTL 2.81
MERIDIAN KEY 2.38
MERIDIAN NAS 4.34
NATCHEZ 5.56 *
PINE-BELT REGIONAL 0.11
HATTIESBURG 0.29
LSU-JSU MESONET
NEWTON 3.11
ST JOSEPH LA 6.90
WINNSBORO LA 5.15
RAWS
BUDE 4.07
COPIAH CNTY 0.46
TOMBIGBEE-CHOCTAW CNTY 3.52
HOLMES CNTY 3.12
DELTA RD-SHARKEY CNTY 3.94
HIGHWAY 43-MADISON CNTY 3.50
NESHOBA CNTY 1.25
WARREN CNTY 4.83
BIENVILLE - SCOTT CNTY 1.82
LAUDERDALE CNTY 4.16
COVINGTON CNTY 0.02
MARION CNTY 0.54
* DENOTES SOME MISSING DATA DUE TO POWER OUTAGES
D. MAXIMUM STORM TIDE HEIGHTS...
NOT APPLICABLE
E. EXTENT OF BEACH EROSION...
NOT APPLICABLE
F. FLOODING AND/OR FLASH FLOODING...
AN AXIS OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...10 TO 15 INCHES...FELL UP THE BASIN
OF THE BIG BLACK RIVER. THIS CAUSED SIGNIFICANT FLASH FLOODING ACROSS
PARTS OF HOLMES...YAZOO...AND WARREN COUNTIES...WHERE A NUMBER OF HOMES
SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE DUE TO FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
STREAMS AND ROADWAYS OCCURRED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE AREA...BUT WAS
MORE ISOLATED AND NOT AS SIGNIFICANT.
G. TORNADOES...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS
CONDUCTED A NUMBER OF STORM DAMAGE SURVEYS OVER THE LAST WEEK TO
INSPECT DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE RITA. AS OF THIS
AFTERNOON...THE NWS HAS CONFIRMED 49 INDIVIDUAL TORNADOES ACROSS
NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
ASSOCIATED WITH RITA. SURVEY TEAMS ARE STILL CONDUCTING SURVEYS
TODAY...AND ADDITIONAL SURVEYS WILL BE PERFORMED THIS WEEK...SO THIS
TOTAL MAY STILL GO HIGHER.
THESE 49 TORNADOES OCCURRED IN AN APPROXIMATELY 36 HOUR PERIOD
STARTING AT 920 AM ON SATURDAY MORNING...SEPTEMBER 24TH. A NUMBER OF
THESE TORNADOES PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. A TORNADO THAT OCCURRED
IN TENSAS PARISH AT 1253 AM SUNDAY PRODUCED DAMAGE RATED AS F3 ON
THE FUJITA SCALE. EIGHT OTHER TORNADOES PRODUCED DAMAGE OF F2
INTENSITY. SEVERAL TORNADOES WITH F1 RATED DAMAGE ALSO MADE A
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT...INCLUDING THE TORNADO THAT MOVED THROUGH THE
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN STARKVILLE ON SUNDAY
AFTERNOON...AND A TORNADO EAST OF ISOLA THAT CAUSED 1 FATALITY AND 2
SERIOUS INJURIES. WHILE A NUMBER OF TORNADOES WERE BRIEF IN
NATURE...SEVERAL LONGER TRACK TORNADOES DID OCCUR. THIS INCLUDED A
17 MILE LONG TORNADO PATH...WITH AREAS OF F2 DAMAGE...THROUGH
HUMPHREYS AND SUNFLOWER COUNTIES.
NO OTHER OUTBREAK OF TORNADOES IN THE NWS RECORDS FOR THE ARKLAMISS
REGION HAS PRODUCED AS MANY TORNADOES AS THIS EVENT. THE PREVIOUS
KNOWN RECORD FOR NUMBER OF TORNADOES FOR A SINGLE EVENT LASTING 48
HOURS OR LESS WAS 35 TORNADOES DURING THE JANUARY 21-22...1999 EVENT.
HERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE TORNADOES PRODUCED BY RITA AS OF TODAY
BASED ON NWS SURVEYS AND REPORTS FROM OUR PARTNERS IN EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT...LAW ENFORCEMENT...AND UTILITY COMPANIES AND
COOPERATIVES...
TOTAL NUMBER OF TORNADOES...49
NUMBER OF F3 TORNADOES...1
NUMBER OF F2 TORNADOES...8
NUMBER OF F1 TORNADOES...14
NUMBER OF F0 TORNADOES...26
NUMBER OF TORNADOES WITH PATH LENGTH GREATER THAN 5 MILES...7
H. PRELIMINARY STORM EFFECTS
TORNADOES 1 DEAD 15 INJURED
$$
WFO JAN STAFF