Ivan Makes Landfall; Downgraded To Tropical Depression
Heavy Rain Expected In Houston Friday
POSTED: Thursday, September 23, 2004
UPDATED: 10:08 pm CDT September 23,2004
HOUSTON -- The eye of Tropical Storm Ivan made landfall in southwest Louisiana Thursday night, with the Houston area expected to feel the effects Friday.
The regenerated storm crossed near Cameron, La., shortly before 7 p.m. with top sustained winds near 45 mph, forecasters said.At 10 p.m. CDT Thursday, Ivan was downgraded to a tropical depression and located at 29.8 north and 93.5 west or about 25 miles east-southeast of Port Arthur. It was moving toward the northwest near 8 mph. Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph with higher gusts.A slow turn to the west is expected during the next 24 hours. It's expected to weaken as it moves inland.All tropical storm warnings have been discontinued.A flood watch is in effect for Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Houston Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties until 7 a.m. Friday.
For the latest coordinates on Ivan and other tropical systems, click here.
"It looks like overnight tonight we'll see the rains that we find on Doppler 2000 Plus (at 4 p.m.) begin to spread toward our area and then we could be dealing with some strong feeder bands (Friday, Friday night), and maybe into Saturday as well," Local 2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley said. "It will generally track into southeast Texas and then start to move southwest."Billingsley expects the system to bring in quite a bit of moisture due to a high-pressure system developing over north Texas."It's certainly strong enough to bring in quite a bit of moisture and if it makes the forecasted bend down through southeast Texas, we could see very heavy rain amounts. That's what we're going to have to watch out for," he said."If this system continues to move up toward northern Liberty County, around Cleveland, then starts to cut back down toward Conroe (Friday), then we could see a low-pressure system with pretty good circulation just off to our west. That circulation is what begins to tap into the Gulf and bring in all the moisture," Billingsley said. "That is a similar situation as to what happened in (Tropical Storm) Allison. I say 'similar' and not 'exact' and that’s why we could see heavy rain out of this."
Billingsley said the system might move slowly Friday and Saturday, remaining in the Houston area."Some of you could see 10 inches of rain. Two to four inches of rain will be common," he said.Emergency management officials said besides flooding, they also worried about beach erosion. They told residents along the coast to monitor the news and weather forecasts, and to keep their emergency kits nearby.Billingsley reminded residents in Ivan's path to move all "missile" objects inside.
"Potted plants, garbage cans, bicycles -- anything that can be picked up and thrown into a window and break it," Billingsley said.The National Hurricane Center said rainfall of 5 to 10 inches with some higher amounts is possible near Ivan's path.Galveston's emergency management coordinator said a team of people is keeping their eye on the waters."We urge people to avoid driving on flooded streets. One of the dangers is if the street has water in it, people drive down it and that can cause a wake, which can push water into yards and potentially into houses also," Galveston Emergency Management Center coordinator Eliot Jennings said.Ivan was upgraded to a tropical storm Wednesday evening after sustained winds were measured near 40 mph.
Ivan and its remnants were blamed for at least 52 deaths in the United States and 70 in the Caribbean. Flooding caused much of the destruction.After hitting Florida on Sept. 16 as a hurricane, Ivan weakened and broke apart as it traveled north, drenching southern and mid-Atlantic states before returning to sea. A slice of the storm turned southward, however, growing slightly as it traveled over warmer waters."It found itself in the northern Bahamas and off the southeast coast of Florida as a low-pressure area and has been moving over the Gulf of Mexico," said Richard Knabb, a meteorologist with the Hurricane Center in Miami. "It has regained some circulation and regenerated.
"It doesn't happen very often, but we've had past tropical cyclones that lose their designation and then regenerate," he said.Some 200,000 motorcyclists are expected to flock to Galveston over the weekend for the island's annual Lone Star Motorcycle Rally.Bikers who have already arrived told Local 2 they plan to stay whether Ivan strikes or not."I think the rain would be a better choice to leave than the bikers," visitor Rita Ramirez said. Hurricane Information:
Copyright 2005 by Click2Weather.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 VIDEO Sept. 23  Coastal Communities Prepare For IvanGalveston Emergency Management Officials Monitor StormSept. 22 Team Coverage: Ivan Reappears, Puts Island On Alert COASTAL COUNTIES TEXAS LOUISIANA TRAFFIC |
Road Closures: 800-452-9292 
For the latest coordinates on Ivan and other tropical systems, click here."It looks like overnight tonight we'll see the rains that we find on Doppler 2000 Plus (at 4 p.m.) begin to spread toward our area and then we could be dealing with some strong feeder bands (Friday, Friday night), and maybe into Saturday as well," Local 2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley said. "It will generally track into southeast Texas and then start to move southwest."Billingsley expects the system to bring in quite a bit of moisture due to a high-pressure system developing over north Texas."It's certainly strong enough to bring in quite a bit of moisture and if it makes the forecasted bend down through southeast Texas, we could see very heavy rain amounts. That's what we're going to have to watch out for," he said."If this system continues to move up toward northern Liberty County, around Cleveland, then starts to cut back down toward Conroe (Friday), then we could see a low-pressure system with pretty good circulation just off to our west. That circulation is what begins to tap into the Gulf and bring in all the moisture," Billingsley said. "That is a similar situation as to what happened in (Tropical Storm) Allison. I say 'similar' and not 'exact' and that’s why we could see heavy rain out of this."Billingsley said the system might move slowly Friday and Saturday, remaining in the Houston area."Some of you could see 10 inches of rain. Two to four inches of rain will be common," he said.Emergency management officials said besides flooding, they also worried about beach erosion. They told residents along the coast to monitor the news and weather forecasts, and to keep their emergency kits nearby.Billingsley reminded residents in Ivan's path to move all "missile" objects inside."Potted plants, garbage cans, bicycles -- anything that can be picked up and thrown into a window and break it," Billingsley said.The National Hurricane Center said rainfall of 5 to 10 inches with some higher amounts is possible near Ivan's path.Galveston's emergency management coordinator said a team of people is keeping their eye on the waters."We urge people to avoid driving on flooded streets. One of the dangers is if the street has water in it, people drive down it and that can cause a wake, which can push water into yards and potentially into houses also," Galveston Emergency Management Center coordinator Eliot Jennings said.Ivan was upgraded to a tropical storm Wednesday evening after sustained winds were measured near 40 mph.Ivan and its remnants were blamed for at least 52 deaths in the United States and 70 in the Caribbean. Flooding caused much of the destruction.After hitting Florida on Sept. 16 as a hurricane, Ivan weakened and broke apart as it traveled north, drenching southern and mid-Atlantic states before returning to sea. A slice of the storm turned southward, however, growing slightly as it traveled over warmer waters."It found itself in the northern Bahamas and off the southeast coast of Florida as a low-pressure area and has been moving over the Gulf of Mexico," said Richard Knabb, a meteorologist with the Hurricane Center in Miami. "It has regained some circulation and regenerated."It doesn't happen very often, but we've had past tropical cyclones that lose their designation and then regenerate," he said.Some 200,000 motorcyclists are expected to flock to Galveston over the weekend for the island's annual Lone Star Motorcycle Rally.Bikers who have already arrived told Local 2 they plan to stay whether Ivan strikes or not."I think the rain would be a better choice to leave than the bikers," visitor Rita Ramirez said. Hurricane Information: - Click2Houston Hurricane Section National Hurricane Center City Of Galveston Galveston County Emergency Management Harris County Emergency Management National Weather Service: Houston and Galveston Information
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September 23, 2004: Galveston Residents Remain Calm Before The Storm September 22, 2004: 'Mini Storm Surge' Floods Seabrook Streets September 16, 2004: Evacuees Pack Up, Leave Houston September 15, 2004: Houston Becomes Refuge For Those Escaping Ivan September 14, 2004: Houstonians Help Hurricane Victims September 2, 2004: Houstonians Flee Threat Of Hurricane Frances August 13, 2004: New Emergency Center To Withstand Level 5 Hurricanes Copyright 2005 by Click2Weather.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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