[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KTAE 121522
HLSTLH
FLZ007>019-026>029-034-GMZ750-755-770-775-121756-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
1115 AM EDT THU AUG 12 2004

...BONNIE MAKING LANDFALL ALONG THE BIG BEND COAST FLORIDA...

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA
PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND COAST FROM DESTIN EAST TO THE MOUTH OF THE
SUWANNEE RIVER...
...AN HIGH WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE INLAND COUNTIES OF THE
FLORIDA BIG BEND UNTIL 2PM...
...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT FOR SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND...
...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL
GEORGIA...THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE PANHANDLE
UNTIL 200 PM...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS ACROSS THE
FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE WHICH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:
WALTON...HOLMES...WASHINGTON...BAY...JACKSON...CALHOUN...GULF...
GADSDEN...LIBERTY...FRANKLIN...LEON...WAKULLA...JEFFERSON...
MADISON...TAYLOR...DIXIE AND LAFAYETTE.

...WATCH AND WARNING INFORMATION...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT ALONG THE FLORIDA GULF COAST
FROM DESTIN...EAST TO THE MOUTH OF THE SUWANNEE RIVER. SINCE BONNIE
HAS WEAKENED AND IS NOT EXPECTED TO REGAIN STRENGTH BEFORE
LANDFALL. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS HAVE OCCURRED THE COASTAL
WATERS SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLE HOWEVER WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED
OVERALL WITH THE SYSTEM. THE HIGHEST WINDS ARE NOW FORECAST TO
REACH THE TAYLOR AND DIXIE COUNTY COAST. WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH
SHOULD PUSH ONTO THE COAST BY NOON. SOME HIGHER GUSTS AND VERY
HEAVY RAIN SHOULD MOVE TO THE TAYLOR AND DIXIE COUNTY COAST BY
BETWEEN NOON AND 1PM.  THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING HAS
BEEN CANCELLED FOR ALL INLAND AREAS...HOWEVER AN ADVISORY IS IN
EFFECT FOR INLAND BIG BEND AREAS FOR GUSTS TO 35 TO 40 MPH WITH
THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 10 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM BONNIE WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 29.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE  85.2 WEST OR ABOUT 20 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA. BONNIE IS MOVING TOWARD THE
NORTHEAST NEAR 28 MPH. THE CENTER OF BONNIE IS NOW EXPECTED TO REACH
THE GULF COAST OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AROUND NOON TIME...WITH A
LANDFALL EXPECTED AROUND APALACHICOLA. THE STORM WILL THEN MOVE
NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FLORIDA BIG BEND INTO SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-
CENTRAL GEORGIA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 50 MPH MAINLY IN SPOTS OVER THE
OPEN GULF. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED.

...RAINFALL AND FLOOD POTENTIAL INFORMATION...
A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...
AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND THROUGH MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. VERY HEAVY
RAIN SHOULD CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING IN TAYLOR COUNTY BY
EARLY AFTERNOON AND A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED. ANY ADDITIONAL
HEAVY RAINFALL WILL EXACERBATE THE FLOODING POTENTIAL...AS SATURATED
GROUND CONDITIONS EXIST IN MANY AREAS DUE TO RECENT HEAVY RAINS. AS
BONNIE MOVES FROM THE PANHANDLE INTO SOUTH-CENTRAL GEORGIA...4 TO 6
INCH RAINFALL TOTALS WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY
IN THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. THIS WOULD CAUSE
WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.
ELSEWHERE...ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES ARE
POSSIBLE.

...WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS HAVE ALREADY ENTERED THE PANHANDLE COASTAL
WATERS THIS MORNING. AT 9 AM CDT...THE BUOY 95 MILES SOUTH OF PANAMA
CITY REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 37 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 47 KNOTS.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH COASTAL SECTIONS OF
THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AROUND NOON. STRONG WINDS WILL SPREAD FURTHER
INLAND THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS BONNIE ACCELERATES NORTHEASTWARD.
ALTHOUGH SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE NOT EXPECTED FOR
INLAND PORTIONS OF FLORIDA...GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE ARE
CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA
BIG BEND AND SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 2PM. THERE IS
A RISK OF TORNADOES WITH THE LANDFALL OF THIS STORM.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
WITH BONNIE NOW EXPECTED TO BE WEAKER AT LANDFALL...A REDUCED STORM
SURGE OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS EXPECTED ALONG THE
GULF COAST OF FRANKLIN AND WAKULLA COUNTIES. A STORM SURGE OF 3 TO
4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IS STILL POSSIBLE IN THE ALONG THE TAYLOR COUNTY
COAST WITH 2 TO 3 FEET EXPECTED ALONG THE DIXIE COUNTY COAST.

THE LOCAL TIDES FOR THURSDAY ARE AS FOLLOWS.

SAINT MARKS RIVER ENTRANCE...
HIGH TIDE AT 1221 PM...LOW TIDES AT 605 AM AND 751 PM.

APALACHICOLA...
HIGH TIDE AT 1203 PM...LOW TIDES AT 807 PM AND 949 PM.

SEAS OVER THE GULF COASTAL WATERS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 7 TO 10
FEET TODAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN VERY ROUGH SURF ALONG THE PANHANDLE
AND WESTERN FLORIDA BIG BEND COAST. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN
PORT.

...RIP CURRENTS...
THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY ALONG THE FLORIDA BIG BEND
AND PANHANDLE BEACHES.

WIND...WAVE...AND TIDAL CONDITIONS SUPPORT DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS
TODAY. RIP CURRENTS ARE LIFE THREATENING TO ANYONE ENTERING THE
WATER.

ALWAYS HEED THE ADVICE OF THE BEACH PATROL AND LOCAL OFFICIALS. BE
ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS NEAR PIERS...JETTIES...AND UNGUARDED BEACHES. A
RIP CURRENT IS A STRONG NARROW CURRENT OF WATER FLOWING FROM THE
BEACH THROUGH THE SURF ZONE. IT CAN RAPIDLY CARRY A SWIMMER INTO
DEEPER WATER. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT...WADE SIDEWAYS
PARALLEL TO THE BEACH UNTIL YOU ARE OUT OF ITS PULL.

THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY 3 PM EDT (2 PM CDT).

$$

GOREE
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