Hurricane Rita

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	120
Damage	$21.5 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 large power outages.

Hurricane Rita Media

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.
Storm total rainfall map of Hurricane Rita during September 2005.
Weather radar image of Rita as viewed from Key West on the evening of September 20
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.