This is absolutely incredible! It's now official; Rita is the 3rd strongest hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin. Here is the snippet from the NHC website:
...RITA BECOMES THE THIRD MOST INTENSE HURRICANE ON RECORD...
DROPSONDE DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE
AIRCRAFT AT 623 PM CDT...2323Z...INDICATED THE CENTRAL PRESSURE HAS
FALLEN TO BELOW 899 MB...OR 26.55 INCHES. THE DROPSONDE INSTRUMENT
MEASURED 32 KT/35 MPH WINDS AT THE SURFACE...WHICH MEANS IT LIKELY
DID NOT RECORD THE LOWEST PRESSURE IN THE EYE OF RITA. THE CENTRAL
PRESSURE IS PROBABLY AT LEAST AS LOW AS 898 MB...AND PERHAPS EVEN
LOWER. FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES... A PRESSURE OF 898 MB IS ASSUMED...
WHICH NOW MAKES RITA THE THIRD MOST INTENSE HURRICANE IN TERMS OF
PRESSURE IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN. SOME ADDITIONAL DEEPENING AND
INTENSIFICATION IS POSSIBLE FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS OR SO.
RITA CURRENTLY RANKS BEHIND HURRICANE GILBERT IN 1988 WITH 888 MB
AND THE 1935 LABOR DAY HURRICANE WITH 892 MB.
Update:
As of 5PM Hurricane Rita has attained Category 5 status with maximum sustained winds approaching 170mph. Her central pressure has fallen to 904mb, making Rita the fifth strongest hurricane on record in terms of pressure in the Atlantic Basin.
Rita has been tracking over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and as a result has strengthened significantly into a category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds around 135mph. Rita continues to develop a very well defined eye and improve in its overall structure.
There is also very good model support for a landfall near the Galveston, TX area sometime on Saturday. It also appears Rita will move onshore with at least category 3 strength winds--possibly higher--and anyone living in the western Gulf Coast should begin to take action today and tomorrow.
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