raising 'cane

h.rita passed over some cool water again and went down to category 3. its track appears to take the eye into texas just west of the louisiana line, with landfall sometime between 3am and sunrise, most likely as a cat 3 or possibly 4.

rita's pressure is extremely low, making it one of the most intense storms ever—maybe the most intense. if i correctly grasp what that implies, a very high storm surge is possible.

evacuating texas drivers are running out of gas on hot, clogged highways. a bus carrying 45 nursing home patients burst into flame when its mechanical problems somehow made some patients' oxygen tanks explode. at least 2 dozen are believed dead.

on the more powerful right side of the track, new orleans has 3 new levee breaks at the industrial canal, with waist-deep water at the levee. mississippi is also taking another hit.

this is the most active hurricane season on record, with 5 named already. nobody can recall 2 cat 5s within a month before. 5 weeks remain in the peak season.

to correct or refine info posted earlier: globally, the number per year of tropical cyclonic storms equivalent to category 4 or 5 hurricanes has nearly doubled in 35 years, but the hurricane-force storm total is about the same. the frequency of 2s and 3s is about constant, while cat 1s are actually fewer in number.