4 heat, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 21, 11:36 AM CST, 3 hours 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1236 PM CDT WED SEP 21 2005 .DISCUSSION... HURRICANE RITA REMAINS THE TOP NEWS OF THE DAY. MODEL REMAIN FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH ITS TRACK TOWARD THE MID/UPPER TX COAST AND AS SUCH THE OFFICIAL FORECAST TRACK HAS NOT CHANGED MUCH. IN THE MEANTIME.. HOT/DUSTY CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE PERSIST- ENT RIDGING ALOFT. WILL KEEP WITH THE CURRENT PROGS OF NEAR RECORD/ RECORD MAX TEMPS THIS AFTN. 41 && FOR MORE DETAILED LOCAL INFORMATION ON HURRICANE RITA AND ASSOCIATED HAZARDS - REFER TO THESE NWS HOUSTON/GALVESTON PRODUCTS: HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT - PIL: SATHLSHGX COASTAL FLOOD WATCH - PIL: SATCFWHGX PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT - PIL: SATPNSHGX THESE PRODUCTS ARE ACCESSIBLE FROM THE HOUSTON/GALVESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/HGX. && .MARINE...NO CHANGES OTHER THAN TO TWEAK UP THE SEAS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT AS RITA SHOULD BE A 4 OR 5 IN THE OFFSHORE GULF GENERATING SOME VERY LARGE SWELLS. 45 && .AVIATION...VFR. A FEW CU POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON BUT MAINLY JUST A WIND FORECAST. NORTHEASTERLY FLOW OF 5-12 KNOTS SHOULD BUCKLE A LITTLE THIS AFTERNOON AS SEABREEZE CIRCULATION DEVELOPS BUT MAKES LITTLE HEADWAY INLAND. NORTHEAST WINDS AGAIN THURSDAY MORNING STARTING OUT AT 5 TO 10 KNOTS AND PICKING UP TO AROUND 10 KNOTS BY 17Z. RITAS FEEDER BANDS STILL OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WITH CIRRUS CANOPY EXPANDING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TERMINALS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 100 73 98 74 93 / 0 0 10 10 30 HOUSTON (IAH) 97 73 96 76 90 / 0 0 10 20 50 GALVESTON (GLS) 94 82 93 82 87 / 0 0 10 30 70 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 700 AM CDT WED SEP 21 2005 GMZ330-335-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-221200- AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-BRAZOS-BURLESON-CHAMBERS-COLORADO-FORT BEND-GALVESTON- GALVESTON BAY-GRIMES-HARRIS-HOUSTON-JACKSON-LIBERTY-MADISON-MATAGORDA- MATAGORDA BAY-MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER- WASHINGTON-WHARTON- 700 AM CDT WED SEP 21 2005 ...COASTAL FLOOD WATCH ISSUED FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. HURRICANE RITA IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST BETWEEN FRIDAY EVENING AND SATURDAY MORNING. BASED ON THE FORECAST TRACK...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD IMPACT THE MID AND UPPER TEXAS COAST BEGINNING FRIDAY AFTERNOON. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE AND UPPER TEXAS COAST...AND SOME PARTS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. THE FORECAST TRACK OF RITA FAVORS THE LIKELIHOOD OF WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY AS THE STORM MAKES LANDFALL. WIDESPREAD DOWNED TREES ARE EXPECTED EXTENDING WELL INLAND FROM THE COAST. A SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE IMPACT WILL OCCUR ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AND BAYS EVEN AT A GREAT DISTANCE FROM WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. PERSONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS ARE URGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST ADVISORIES FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ON TROPICAL STORM RITA...AND THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST. FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE TIDES...PLEASE REFER TO THE COASTAL FLOOD WATCH (SATCFWHGX). FOR MORE SPECIFIC LOCAL HAZARD INFORMATION RELATED TO HURRICANE RITA...PLEASE REFER TO THESE LOCAL NWS HOUSTON/GALVESTON PRODUCTS: HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT - PIL: SATHLSHGX - WMO HEADER: WTUS84 COASTAL FLOOD WATCH - PIL: SATCFWHGX - WMO HEADER: WHUS44 PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT - PIL: SATPNSHGX - WMO HEADER: NOUS44 .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Deaths were all associated with the evacuation for Hurricane Rita, both before and after Rita's arrival. Rita made landfall just east of the Texas/Louisiana border early Saturday morning, September 24th.
Deaths were all associated with the evacuation for Hurricane Rita, both before and after Rita's arrival. Rita made landfall just east of the Texas/Louisiana border early Saturday morning, September 24th.
Deaths were all associated with the evacuation for Hurricane Rita, both before and after Rita's arrival. Rita made landfall just east of the Texas/Louisiana border early Saturday morning, September 24th.
Deaths were all associated with the evacuation for Hurricane Rita, both before and after Rita's arrival. Rita made landfall just east of the Texas/Louisiana border early Saturday morning, September 24th.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 17 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 75 | Female | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-21 | 83 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-21 | 91 | Female | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-23 | 58 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-23 | 1 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-23 | 51 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-23 | 72 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-25 | 50 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-25 | 63 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 71 | Female | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-26 | 29 | Female | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-23 | 30 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-27 | 65 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-27 | 72 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-28 | 66 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 58 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 67 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 69 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 83 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 24 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 43 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-24 | 92 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-24 | 79 | Female | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-24 | 71 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-25 | 90 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-25 | 86 | Female | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-25 | 85 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-26 | 83 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-26 | 92 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-21 | 27 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-21 | 91 | Female | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-24 | 80 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Harris | 2005-09-22 | 73 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Chambers | 2005-09-22 | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | ||
| Heat, Houston | 2005-09-22 | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | ||
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-22 | 68 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-22 | 53 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-24 | 71 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-22 | 81 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-22 | 80 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-26 | 76 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-26 | 44 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-26 | 43 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-22 | 62 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-22 | 59 | Female | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-23 | 29 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-26 | 76 | Female | Other | Direct |
| Heat, Montgomery | 2005-09-23 | 93 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, September 2005
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5478489, 5478490, 5478491, 5478551.