At 09:00 pm that night [nb 1], Rita reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 895 mbar (hPa; 26.43 inHg), making it the strongest tropical cyclone recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the fourth-strongest tropical cyclone recorded in the entirety of the Atlantic basin.

The hurricane weakened as it approached the northern gulf coast, and Rita made landfall in extreme southwestern Louisiana at 01:40 am on September 24[nb 2] with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h).

Once inland, the hurricane weakened rapidly due to increasing wind shear, falling to tropical depression intensity over Arkansas by September 25.

[6] The tornado outbreak began on September 24 and continued into the next day, associated with the outer rainbands of the eastern edge of the landfalling hurricane.

[8] There were 55 tornadoes recorded within the Jackson, Mississippi National Weather Service's territory, becoming the largest outbreak in the office's history.