Here’s an interesting factoid about Hurricane Rita, now the fifth strongest hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic Basin: as of this afternoon, the temperature at 700mb (around 7,500 feet) within the storm is an incredible 30 degrees C (86 degrees F). As a comparison, Typhoon Tip (1979) also had a 700mb temperature of 30 degrees C at one point. Typhoon Tip was the strongest tropical cyclone ever observed.

Rita registered a pressure drop of 10mb in one hour today (a record, I believe). With the minimum central pressure as low as 904mb at the moment, I fully expect Rita to fall below the 900mb mark this evening - something Hurricane Katrina couldn’t even manage.

UPDATE: Within a minute of posting, new recon data arrives: Rita’s minimum central pressure is now 898mb, making it the third strongest hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic Basin. Yowsa.