Tuesday, September 20th, 2005 — The National Hurricane Center predicts Rita will hit the Florida Keys at noon on Tuesday, but was unsure if it will strengthen before that time. At 8 a.m. EDT, Rita was 100 miles east-southeast of Key West, Florida and on a path to the west-northwest at about 15 mph. Experts predict that after Rita passes over the lower Florida Keys the National Hurricane Center in Miami is predicting it could develop into a Category One or Category Two hurricane, continue west over the Gulf of Mexico and the cone of probability shows it strengthening and going ashore either in Texas or perhaps even Louisiana.