Hurricane Rita
| Category 5 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Hurricane Rita prior to peak intensity on September 21
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| Formed | September 18, 2005 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 26, 2005 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 180 mph (285 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 895 mbar (hPa); 26.43 inHg |
| Fatalities | 97 – 125 total |
| Damage | $12 billion (2005 USD) |
| Areas affected | Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, Cuba, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Canada |
| Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season | |
| State | State total | County/Parish | Reported deaths |
Direct deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 2 | Escambia | 1 | 1 |
| Walton | 1 | 1 | ||
| Louisiana | 1 | Calcasieu | 1 | 1 |
| Mississippi | 4 | Humphreys | 1 | 1 |
| Pike | 3 | 0 | ||
| Texas | 113 | Angelina | 2 | 1 |
| Dallas | 23 | 0 | ||
| Galveston | 36 | 0 | ||
| Harris | 35 | 0 | ||
| Jefferson | 6 | 0 | ||
| Liberty | 2 | 2 | ||
| Montgomery | 2 | 0 | ||
| Shelby | 1 | 0 | ||
| Walker | 5 | 0 | ||
| Totals | 120 | 120 | 7 | |
| Because of differing sources, totals may not match. | ||||
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Part of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which included three of the six most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded (along with #1 Wilma and #6 Katrina), Rita was the eighteenth named storm, tenth hurricane, and fifth major hurricane of the 2005 season. Rita formed near The Bahamas from a tropical wave on September 18 that originally developed off the coast of West Africa. It moved westward, and after passing through the Florida Straits, Rita entered an environment of abnormally warm waters. Moving west-northwest, it rapidly intensified to reach peak winds of 180 mph (285 km/h), achieving Category 5 status on September 21st. However, as Rita approached land through September 24th, it weakened to a Category 3 and began to curve to the northwest, making landfall between Sabine Pass, Texas and Holly Beach, Louisiana with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). Rapidly weakening over land, Rita degenerated into a large low-pressure area over the lower Mississippi Valley by September 26th.
In Louisiana, Rita's storm surge inundated low-lying communities along the entire coast, worsening effects caused by Hurricane Katrina less than a month prior, such as topping the hurriedly-repaired Katrina-damaged levees at New Orleans. Parishes in Southwest Louisiana and counties in Southeast Texas where Rita made landfall suffered from catastrophic-to-severe flooding and wind damage. According to an October 25, 2005 Disaster Center report, 4,526 single-family dwellings were destroyed in Orange and Jefferson counties located in Southeast Texas. Major damage was sustained by 14,256 additional single-family dwellings, and another 26,211 single-family dwellings received minor damage. Mobile homes and apartments also sustained significant damage or total destruction. In all, nine Texas counties and five Louisiana Parishes were declared disaster areas after the storm. Electric service was disrupted in some areas of both Texas and Louisiana for several weeks. Texas reported the most deaths from the hurricane, where 113 deaths were reported, 107 of which were associated with the evacuation of the Houston metropolitan area.
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Wikipedia