20th anniversary of Hurricane Rita: Most intense storm in the Gulf

JOHNSON’S BAYOU, La. (WRBL) — Twenty years ago today, Hurricane Rita made landfall in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana as a Category 3 storm. Rita is the strongest storm ever recorded in the Gulf (by pressure).

Tropical Storm Rita formed on September 18th in the Bahamas. Because of very warm waters in the Gulf, Rita would rapidly

intensify into a Category 5 storm only three days later.

Its peak intensity was measured at sustained winds up to 180 mph and a minimum pressure of 895 mb at 10 PM CT September 21st. 

A State of Emergency was issued ahead of the storm for Louisiana and Texas. Texas Governor Rick Perry recalled the Texas National Guard that had been sent to New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Louisiana on September 21st and for parts of Texas on September 22nd. 

As Rita began to move closer to the coast, the storm began to undergo an eyewall replacement cycle. During an eyewall replacement cycle, tropical cyclones will weaken for a short time before restrengthening. This did not happen with Rita due to cooler waters near the coast. 

At 2:40 AM CT on September 24, 2005, Rita made landfall in Cameron Parish with sustained winds of 115 mph.

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles, LA reported storm surge up to 18 feet in Cameron Parish. Holly Beach (located in Cameron Parish), a small beach town, was completely leveled by the surge. 

Rita would continue to move into Southeast Texas through the early morning hours of September 24th. Later that evening, the storm would take a more north/northwest turn back into Louisiana. The system would eventually dissipate on the 26th. 

Extensive wind damage was reported across Louisiana and Texas, many experiencing Category 2 winds. Hurricane Rita would cause over 100 deaths, 7 directly and over 100 indirectly.