Rita To Turn Around, Go Back to Gulf?

NOTE: This report has been superceded with additional clarification in my new blog entry.

This is probably the most bizarre hurricane forecast I have ever seen AccuWeather put out, so I had to document it here. Not that there's anything wrong with this forecast, but only in a year that threatens to break the record of overall tropical storms and category five storms, would you ever see this:

That's right, Rita is projected to turn around, move over the area hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina, nearing New Orleans, and go back into the Gulf of Mexico, my friends. Sound unbelievable? Nobody believed AccuWeather.com Professional's Joe Bastardi either last year when he called for Hurricane Ivan to exit the east coast, turn around and go back into the Gulf.

Could we be wrong? Absolutely, that's the nature of forecasting. But right now looking at all the data, this is our best guess. Show me a forecaster who's always right, I'll sell you some oceanfront property in Wyoming.