Hurricane Ike Shifts Again: Headed North, CenTex In Play

Central Texas could definitely feel some of the effects, but by then it will likely be a tropical storm/tropical depression with some serious bands of thunderstorms. The models have been shifting quite a bit today – putting the storm anywhere from Brownsville to the Freeport/Matagorda area – so its still possible this thing could turn back away from the current track.

I have to imagine the universities won’t wait beyond tomorrow afternoon or Thursday morning to come up with a verdict.

I’m down here where a Houston-area hurricane might hit. Been here 20+ years, and another dozen in Corpus Christi before that. Had to evacuate once. Weather predictions are extremely inaccurate (it’s not their fault), but they also they never point that out, so people who haven’t been around a while tend to panic and pack the car and hit the road, often with no clue where they can find a place to stay.

Hurricane Rita was supposed to dead-hit Freeport, then Galveston, and that was 1-2 days before landfall. It hit the Texas-Louisiana border and did more damage in Nacodgoches than in Houston.

But given the utter panic here when Rita approached, and the gridlock on I-10 and U.S. 290, it’s a good guess the game WILL be impacted if the Wed. or Thurs. projection has the storm coming in anywhere close to Houston. The roads outta here just won’t handle 2 million people fleeing from the coast and the southern half of the county.

I think they may move it up to 11:00am to avoid weather issues, but hopefully it changes directions.