[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KCHS 282154
HLSCHS
AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ116>119-138>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>051-
290400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TROPICAL STORM GASTON LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
555 PM EDT SAT AUG 28 2004

...GASTON CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS SPECIFIC ACTIONS BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS OF
CHARLESTON...BERKELEY...DORCHESTER...COLLETON...BEAUFORT...JASPER...
HAMPTON AND ALLENDALE COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...AND
MCINTOSH...LIBERTY...BRYAN...AND CHATHAM COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST
GEORGIA.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
A HURRICANE WATCH AND A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE
ENTIRE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT
FOR THE ENTIRE GEORGIA COAST.

A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN 36
HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE
EXPECTED WITHIN 24 HOURS.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CHARLESTON...BERKELEY...
DORCHESTER...COLLETON...BEAUFORT...JASPER...ALLENDALE AND HAMPTON
COUNTIES TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY.

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR DORCHESTER AND BERKELEY COUNTIES
SUNDAY.

A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE MOULTRIE SUNDAY.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM GASTON WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 31.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 78.9 WEST OR ABOUT 115 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. GASTON IS DRIFTING TOWARD THE WEST. A SLOW MOTION
TOWARD THE NORTHWEST OR NORTH IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
ON THE LATEST FORECAST TRACK THE CENTER OF GASTON WILL MAKE LANDFALL
IN CHARLESTON COUNTY NEAR THE ISLE OF PALMS AROUND 2 PM SUNDAY.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDES TONIGHT AND SUNDAY NIGHT COMBINED WITH STRONG
ONSHORE WINDS...WILL INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF COASTAL FLOODING AND
SIGNIFICANT BEACH EROSION. STORM TIDES OF 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE PREDICTED
LEVELS WILL OCCUR MAINLY ON THE BEACHES NEAR AND TO THE NORTHEAST OF
CHARLESTON...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN BAYS. OFFSHORE WINDS OVER
THE GEORGIA COAST AND SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA COAST WILL LIMIT THE
STORM TIDE SOUTH OF BEAUFORT.

THE HIGHEST PREDICTED TIDES FOR CHARLESTON HARBOR ARE AT 740 PM THIS
EVENING...AND 831 PM SUNDAY EVENING. THE COMBINATION OF THE EXPECTED
TIME OF LANDFALL OF GASTON WITH THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE MAY DRIVE TIDE
LEVELS ABOVE 8 FEET SUNDAY NIGHT IN DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON...CREATING
SEVERE FLOODING PROBLEMS.

...WIND IMPACTS...
WINDS OVER THE SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA COASTAL WATERS AND ALONG
THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE AND ARE EXPECTED TO
REACH TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH AROUND SUNRISE SUNDAY AND CONTINUE
THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY NIGHT.

BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK...WINDS ALONG THE GEORGIA COAST
WILL REMAIN BELOW TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH. WHILE THE CURRENT TRACK
SHOWS LITTLE WIND EFFECTS FOR COASTAL GEORGIA...A SHIFT IN THE
EXPECTED FORECAST TRACK MAY INCREASE FORECAST WIND SPEEDS ALONG THE
GEORGIA COAST.  ALL RESIDENTS UNDER THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH SHOULD
PREPARE FOR TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS.

...SEAS AND RIP CURRENTS...
SEAS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AS GASTON
APPROACHES THE COAST. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. SEAS OF 6 TO
10 FEET CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE COASTAL WATERS LATE TONIGHT INTO
SUNDAY. AS SWELL BREAKS ALONG BEACHES TONIGHT THROUGH
SUNDAY...DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WILL BE LIKELY.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
WITH THE CURRENT INTENSITY FORECAST...FLOODING RAINS WILL BE LIKELY
MAINLY ACROSS THE LOWCOUNTRY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL
TOTALS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES MAY OCCUR OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
CLOSE TO THE FORECAST TRACK...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. LESSER
RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE GEORGIA COAST. WITH THE
GROUND STILL FAIRLY SATURATED FROM RECENT RAINS...FLOODING IS LIKELY.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON TROPICAL STORM GASTON CAN BE FOUND IN
ADVISORIES ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER...AS WELL AS
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS AND SHORT TERM FORECASTS ISSUED BY THIS
OFFICE.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON AROUND 11 PM.

$$

AUSTIN


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