MIKE TOBIAS
PORT ARTHUR — Hurricane Ike is continuing its trek towards Galveston Island and the Upper Texas Coast.
Hurricane force wind gusts are currently occuring on Galveston Island.
At 10 p.m., the center of Hurricane Ike was located near latitude 28.6 North...longitude 94.4 West or about 55 miles/85 kilometers South-Southeast of Galveston, TX and about 95 miles/150 kilometers South-Southwest of Port Arthur moving towards the Northwest at 12 mph/19 kilometers per hour. A North-Northwestward motion is forcast to continue tonight and Saturday morning, with a turn to the North expected Saturday morning. The center of Ike will be very near Galveston Island and the Upper Texas coast by early Saturday morning.
Data from NOAA Doppler Weather Radars and reconaissance aircraft indicate maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph/175 kilometers per hour with higher gusts. Ike is a strong Catagory 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale and could reach the Texas coast as a Catagory 3, just before landfall. Stronger winds, as much as 30 mph than the surface, could occur on high rise buildings.
Ike is a very large hurricane and hurricane force winds extend outward up to 120 miles/195 kilometers from the center. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 275 miles/445 kilometers.
The National Weather Service has issued a Hurricane Warning from Morgan City, LA to North of Port Aransas, as hurricane conditions are expected to reach the Gulf of Mexico coastline shortly.
The NWS has also issued a tornado warning, in effect from 9:00 p.m. tonight until 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning. This watch includes six counties. In Southeast Texas; Hardin, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, and Tyler counties.
The cities impacted in this warning are Beaumont, Bridge City, Buna, Colmesneil, Deweyville, Groves, Jasper, Kirbyville, Lumberton, Newton, Nederland, Orange, Port Arthur, Port Neches, Silsbee, Vidor, and Woodville.
A Flash Flood Warning is in effect from now until Sunday morning. The warning area includes portions of Louisiana and Southeast Texas, including the following areas: In Louisiana, Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lower St. Martin, Rapides, St. Landry, St. Mary, Upper St. Martin, Vermillion and Vernon.
In Southeast Texas, Hardin, Jefferson, Newton, Orange and Tyler Counties through Sunday morning.
Heavy rains from between 5 to 10 inches are expected, with locally high amounts from up to 15 inches possible across portions of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas through Saturday night as Hurricane Ike moves through the region.
The heavy rainfall may lead to flooding of roadways and buildings, expecially in low lying areas prone to flooding.
Those along low lying, coastal river areas should be advised of a River Flood Warning in effect for the Neches River area near Beaumont until Wednesday morning, or until the warning is cancelled. Water levels along the Neches River are expected to rise 14.4 feet by tomorrow morning. The weather service is reporting widespread major flooding already occuring along numerous homes in northeast Beaumont and Rose City.
Stay with The Port Arthur News online at panews.com for continuing updates on the wrath of Hurricane Ike.
