Rita Strengthens to Category 5

The latest devastating hurricane, Rita, is now churning through the Gulf of Mexico as a category 5 storm with sustained winds of 165 mph...and it hasn't even hit the warmest water yet. It looks like Joe from Accuweather is going to be right about this being the strongest storm ever measured in the northwestern Gulf. The latest barometric pressure reading I heard was 904 millibars, which is just slightly higher than the 902 reading which marked the lowest pressure recorded on Katrina. Wherever it finally comes ashore basically isn't going to be there anymore after the storm.

My Texas correspondent (and good friend and lead singer Eric) tells me that hotel space is pretty much gone all the way north to Oklahoma City. It's probably going to take more than just temporary housing, too, as many folks will not have homes to return to.

And how about all those people who were evacuated to Houston from New Orleans? Those poor folks must think God has a bullseye on their foreheads.

Please keep my good buddies in Rockport, TX in your prayers. Most of them are police or sheriff's officers, and as first responders, will be right in the middle of this thing. The current storm track takes Rita north of Rockport by 100 miles or so, but they could still get hurricane force winds down there. I guess I'll hold off a bit buying that Rockport vacation home I'd been thinking about.

UPDATE 5pm PST - Barometric pressure is now down to 898 millibars, the 3rd strongest storm in recorded Atlantic basin history. Wow.

UPDATE 9/22: Here's the latest track.