Hurricane Rita Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Hurricane Rita
Category 5 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Rita near peak intensity on September 21
Formed	September 18, 2005
Dissipated	September 26, 2005



Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 180 mph (285 km/h)
Lowest pressure	895 mbar (hPa); 26.43 inHg



Fatalities	97–125 total
Damage	$18.5 billion (2005 USD)
Areas affected	Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, Cuba, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Great Lakes region

Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Rita was a powerful hurricane in the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It hit the United States' Gulf Coast. At its peak intensity, it was a strong Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 175 miles per hour. It made landfall as a Category 3 storm, and caused more flooding in New Orleans, which already had weakened levees due to Hurricane Katrina. In addition, it caused massive power outages.

Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale
TD	TS	C1	C2	C3	C4	C5

Images for kids

Tropical Storm Rita over the eastern Bahamas on September 18
Hurricane Rita as a Category 2 hurricane crossing the Florida Straits
Rita in the Texas-Louisiana border on September 25
Motorists stranded on Highway 60 during Hurricane Rita evacuation.
Hurricane Rita Rainfall
Holly Beach, a town along the Gulf Coast completely destroyed by Rita
Holly Beach was almost completely leveled by Rita's storm surge
Two satellite images showing the extent of flooding caused by Rita in Louisiana and Texas.
Floodwaters and destruction left in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, in an area located near Galveston Bay, Texas.
Church in Beaumont with roof ripped off by Hurricane Rita.
Projected path of Hurricane Rita on September 22 highlighting refineries and oil rigs across southeast Texas and southern Louisiana.
Soldiers load hundreds of Meals, Ready-to-Eat and water onto a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at Ellington Field, Texas