Rita is now a Tropical Depression

Chief Meteorologist Craig Carnesi here with you on a Saturday night...

The final public advisory has been issued on Rita less than 24 hours after she made landfall as a major hurricane on the Texas/Louisiana coastlines. Once a storm weakens to this extent the National Hurricane Center no longer issues updates on a storm system. Here is the final update from the NHC:

AT 10 PM CDT...0300Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 33.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 93.9 WEST...OR ABOUT 40 MILES NORTH OF SHREVEPORT LOUISIANA.

THE DEPRESSION IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 10 MPH. A GRADUALTURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 35 MPH... WITH HIGHER GUSTS.LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 985 MB...29.09 INCHES.

What happens next?

The latest run of computer models have now dropped the idea I mentioned earlier today of bringing Rita back to the South and West and emerging her into the Gulf of Mexico and re-forming as a Tropical Storm. (a la Ivan last year) If you'll scroll down you'll read how I though this was a very unlikely scenario. But, like any good meteorologist, I covered my bases by mentioning it as a possibility. Now it looks like Rita will either dissipate completely or become an extra-tropical cyclone be absorbed and carried away by the upper level winds.

Elsewhere in the tropics there are no other active named storms. But remember, the Atlantic Tropical Hurricane Season runs until November 30th. I do not believe we are anywhere near finished with tropical systems for 2005.

The blog will continue from here. In the next couple of days we will switch from talking only about Rita, to talking in depth about our weather in the Big Country. If you have a question, comment, complaint, etc. Please post it here on the blog or e-mail me at ccarnesi@krbc.tv. We will answer your questions here for all to read.