Update: Rita Storm Warning - All Is Well In Miami Beach

OK, it’s official. I received an email from the City of Miami Beach anouncing an advisory for Tropical Storm Rita.  A volunteer evacuation has been issued starting at 6pm tonight:

“As of 11:00 a.m. this morning, a hurricane warning has been issued for Miami-Dade County prompting a voluntary evacuation for Miami Beach beginning at 6:00 p.m. tonight.”

The Sun Sentinel has links to a Tropical Storm 5 Day Forecast, a Storm Advisory, and a Strike Probability Map.

MiamiBeach411 has links to Miami webcams that will give you a good sense of the current weather conditions.

Update 1: I just noticed Local 10 News has replaced their exterior webcam shot with an interior shot of a TV inisde the news room, displaying live radar of Hurricane Rita.  You can see the Local10 webcam here.

Update 2: City of Miami Beach offices and services, including beaches, remain closed today, Tuesday, September 20. City business and services are expected to resume to normal operations tomorrow, Wednesday, September 21.

Surfers converge on South Beach. See hurricane rita surf video at nbc6.

Update 3:  The Orlando CVB says hotel rooms are available for those avoiding Rita. 96 hotels report 4,800 rooms are available for Sept. 20th, 5,247 available for Sept. 21st, and 5,700 for Sept. 22nd. For more info, the bureau has activated its hotline at (407) 354-5555.

Update 4: Thankfully, Rita has passed us by. There is NO damage to report. Miami Beach is OPEN for business. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in her path.

Related Categories: Miami: Local News, Gus Moore heads up Miami Beach 411 as site administrator. You can reach him at 1-305-754-2206. See more articles by Gus. See more articles by Gus Was This Post Helpful? Please Share It With Others! Tweet

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

Discuss the surrounding area in our hugely popular Miami forum.