Special Advisory: "Kat" To Be A 4

A highly unusual 'special advisory' was issued by the National Hurricane Center at 10:30 a.m. CDT, predicting that Hurricane Katrina will reach Category 4 status in the next two days:

STEADY INTENSIFICATION TO NEAR CATEGORY FOUR STRENGTH BY 72 HOURS APPEARS TO BE IN ORDER GIVEN THE VERY WARM GULF WATERS BENEATH THE HURRICANE AND THE VERTICAL SHEAR FORECAST TO DECREASE TO LESS THAN 10 KT BY 48 HOURS.

Category 4 status means sustained winds of 131-155 mph, extensive roof damage, and likely road wash-outs in low lying areas.

Read the complete list of descriptive symptoms here.