By mid-afternoon, Houston and East of I-45 should experience hurricane force winds. Rita has weakened somewhat but is still listed as a category 4 storm.

Winds have dropped to 140 mph, although these should come down as the pressure at the storm has risen to 930 millibars.

The storm is 100 miles off the Texas coast and moving at 10 mph, so we can expect the start of this within 10 hours or so.

Mayor White is advising that if you has not already evacuated, then this it is now too late, and you should shelter in place. Basic requirements include a gallon of water per person per day, and adequate non-perishable food. Please remove loose items from around your house and help to make your neighborhood a safer place when the winds hit.

All our thoughts go out to the victims on the Metro Bus.