Yep, she is a cat. 5. The Weather Channel suggests that she may weaken slightly as she approaches the coast, but, as with Katrina, the potential for catastrophic damage is very likely. The biggest question is exactly where Rita makes landfall. For Galveston, a landfall near and to the south is the worst case scenerio, and that seems to be the consensus of the forecasters right now. Having just been through Katrina, I would strongly advise everyone who is potentially affected by this storm to please get out of harm's way. This one spells serious trouble!