[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMFL 252118
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-260000-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
452 PM EDT THU AUG 25 2005

...CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA NEAR SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNING ISSUED FOR SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...

...NEW INFORMATION SINCE LAST ISSUANCE...
UPDATED WATCHES AND WARNINGS
UPDATED FLOOD IMPACTS
UPDATED WIND IMPACTS

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR PERSONS IN MIAMI-DADE...
BROWARD...PALM BEACH...COLLIER...HENDRY...GLADES AND MAINLAND MONROE
COUNTIES.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
AT 5 PM EDT...A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR COASTAL METROPOLITAN
PALM BEACH...BROWARD AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES...THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...
BISCAYNE BAY AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR METROPOLITAN PALM
BEACH...BROWARD...AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
INLAND AREAS OF SOUTH FLORIDA INCLUDING GLADES...HENDRY...WESTERN PALM BEACH...
WESTERN BROWARD...AND WESTERN MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR INLAND AREAS OF SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA INCLUDING COLLIER AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA GULF COAST
FROM BONITA BEACH TO CAPE SABLE.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTH FLORIDA.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 PM EDT...TROPICAL STORM KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR 26.2 NORTH...
LONGITUDE 79.9 WEST OR ABOUT 15 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF FORT LAUDERDALE.
KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 6 MPH. THIS GENERAL MOTION WITH A SLIGHT
DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THIS MOTION WILL
BRING THE CENTER OF KATRINA ONSHORE THE SOUTHEAST COAST...MOSTLY LIKELY IN
CENTRAL BROWARD COUNTY...THIS EVENING. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE 75 MPH
WITH HIGHER GUSTS MAKING KATRINA A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE. ADDITIONAL
STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE BEFORE LANDFALL.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
IN COLLIER COUNTY...SCHOOLS ARE EXPECTED TO BE CLOSED FRIDAY. RESIDENTS OF
MOBILE HOMES ARE RECOMMENDED FOR EVACUATION AND A SHELTER IS OPEN. CHECK
WITH COLLIER EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR DETAILS.

IN GLADES COUNTY...A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION FOR MOBILE HOMES IN LOW LYING AREAS
BEGAN AT 1 PM TODAY. FOUR GENERAL SHELTERS AND ONE SPECIAL NEEDS SHELTER
ARE OPEN.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
WITH LANDFALL OCCURRING IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS THE STORM TIDE ALONG THE ATLANTIC
COAST NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF THE CENTER WILL BE BETWEEN LOW AND HIGH TIDES. A
STORM TIDE HEIGHT AROUND 2 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL WILL OCCUR. THE STORM TIDE
WILL GRADUALLY FALL REACHING NEAR NORMAL HEIGHTS AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. LARGE
AND BATTERING WAVES WILL CONTINUE TO HIT THE OCEAN SHORELINE.

BISCAYNE BAY IS EXPERIENCING AN OFFSHORE WIND...WHICH IS RESULTING IN MUCH
LOWER THAN NORMAL WATER LEVELS TONIGHT.

ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE...A PERSISTENT STRONG NORTHEASTERLY WIND WILL BLOW WATER AWAY
FROM THE NORTHEASTERN SHORE AND PILE WATER UP ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN SHORE AND
IN THE MOUTH OF FISHEATING CREEK. MAXIMUM STORM TIDE LEVELS ON THE SOUTHWEST
SIDE OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE...MAINLY FROM MOORE HAVEN TO CLEWISTON TO BELLE GLADE...
ARE EXPECTED TO BE FROM 18 TO 19 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL...WHILE ON THE
NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE LAKE THE LEVEL COULD DROP TO 13 TO 14 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA
LEVEL. AS KATRINA MOVES INLAND...THE WIND WILL VEER TO THE EAST...WHICH WOULD
INCREASE THE PILING OF WATER INTO THE MOUTH OF FISHEATING CREEK. THIS SCENARIO
WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF KATRINA MOVES FARTHER NORTH THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST.

WHILE KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO BE SOMEWHAT WEAKER AFTER MOVING ACROSS THE FLORIDA
PENINSULA FRIDAY...THE WIND FLOW IS EXPECTED TO BE ONSHORE IN COLLIER AND
MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES AND A MAXIMUM STORM TIDE OF 4 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA
LEVEL IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE COLLIER BEACHES AROUND 800 PM FRIDAY EVENING NEAR
THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE.

...WIND IMPACTS...
RECENT WIND GUSTS INCLUDE FORT LAUDERDALE 65 MPH...BOCA RATON 64 MPH
...POMPANO BEACH 60 MPH.  WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AT 445 PM SHOWS A SMALL
AREA OF 75 MPH WINDS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CENTER OF KATRINA IN THE ATLANTIC
OCEAN ABOUT 15 MILES OFFSHORE MIAMI BEACH.

WIND GUSTS OF 74 MPH OR HIGHER MAY OCCUR IN A FEW LOCATIONS...ESPECIALLY IN THE
UPPER FLOORS OF HIGH RISE BUILDINGS.FREQUENT WIND GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM
FORCE...39 TO 73 MPH...ARE OCCURRING IN SQUALLS ALONG MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA COAST THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT.  SUSTAINED
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS SHOULD LAST INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS FRIDAY.
THESE WINDS WILL CAUSE EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE AND CAN POSSIBLY DOWN POWER LINES
AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS ACROSS THE METRO AREAS OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
WINDS OF AROUND 65 KNOTS ARE ALREADY OCCURRING IN THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS OF
BROWARD AND NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES.

ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE...WIND GUSTS OF 35 MPH ARE OCCURRING OVER PORTIONS OF
LAKE OKEECHOBEE AND WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE EVENING. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE
EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE SOUTH SHORE...ESPECIALLY FROM MOORE HAVEN AROUND TO
CLEWISTON AND LAKE HARBOR AND BELLE GLADE.

...LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS...
THE HEAVIEST RAIN BAND...WITH A RAIN RATE OF 3 TO 4 INCHES PER HOUR...REMAINS
SOUTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER OF KATRINA...MAINLY JUST OFFSHORE FROM NORTHERN
MIAMI-DADE AND SOUTHERN BROWARD COUNTIES. RAINFALL OVERNIGHT ACROSS MANY AREAS
OF SOUTH FLORIDA WILL LIKELY RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES WHILE STORM TOTAL
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA...
WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS TO 15 TO 20 INCHES FROM TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY.
EXAMPLES OF SIMILAR FLOODING SLOW MOVING STORMS WERE IRENE IN 1999 AND THE
DISTURBANCE OF OCTOBER 2 2000 WHICH PRODUCED LOCALIZED RAINFALL TOTALS OF 15 TO
20 INCHES ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND CAUSED WIDESPREAD FLOODING THAT
LASTED FOR SEVERAL DAYS.

...LOCAL TORNADO IMPACTS...
THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED BRIEF TORNADOES IN THE OUTER RAINBANDS
THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING FRIDAY AND POSSIBLY SATURDAY...MAINLY TO THE
NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE MIAMI WEATHER FORECAST
OFFICE AROUND 7 PM TODAY.

FOR A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THIS LOCAL STATEMENT...PLEASE GO TO
OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.MIAMIWEATHER.INFO AND CLICK ON THE GRAPHICAL
HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT ICON.

$$

LUSHINE
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