[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLCH 290026
HLSLCH

LAZ041>045-051>054-290300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
715 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA
EASTWARD TO THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA BORDER...

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT
FROM WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA...

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF
INTRACOASTAL CITY TO CAMERON LOUISIANA...

...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING TO MONDAY EVENING
FOR IBERIA...SAINT MARY...AND SAINT MARTIN...

...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 7 PM MONDAY
FOR IBERIA...SAINT MARY...AND SAINT MARTIN...

...AREAS AFFECTED IN SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS IN ACADIA...CALCASIEU...
CAMERON...IBERIA...JEFFERSON DAVIS...LAFAYETTE...SAINT MARTIN...
SAINT MARY AND VERMILION PARISHES...

...WATCHES/WARNING...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA
EASTWARD. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED INSIDE THE WARNED AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE
COMPLETED.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FROM
WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA. A TROPICAL STORM
WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED INSIDE THE
WARNED AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT
HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE INSIDE THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY
WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF INTRACOASTAL
CITY TO CAMERON LOUISIANA.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 7 PM MONDAY
FOR IBERIA...SAINT MARY...AND SAINT MARTIN. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM
WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE
INLAND ACROSS THE WARNED AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING TO MONDAY EVENING
FOR IBERIA...SAINT MARY...AND SAINT MARTIN. THREE TO FIVE INCHES OF
RAIN IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THIS AREA THROUGH MONDAY EVENING WHICH
WILL CAUSE THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING IN LOW-LYING AREAS.

...STORM INFORMATION...UPDATED
AT 7 PM...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
27.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.1 WEST...OR ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA.

KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 11 MPH...AND A
GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS
TRACK THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE WILL BE NEAR THE NORTHERN GULF
COAST EARLY MONDAY. HOWEVER...CONDITIONS ARE ALREADY BEGINNING TO
DETERIORATE ALONG PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN GULF
COAST...AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORSEN THROUGH THE NIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 160 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
KATRINA IS A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH IS LIKELY UNTIL
LANDFALL. KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY FOUR OR
FIVE.

KATRINA IS A LARGE HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...WINDS GREATER
THAN 74 MPH...EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS...WINDS GREATER THAN 39 MPH EXTEND OUTWARD
UP TO 230 MILES. SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE OCCURRING
OVER THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA COAST.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE
AIRCRAFT WAS 904 MB...26.69 INCHES. UNOFFICIALLY... KATRINA IS NOW
THE FOURTH STRONGEST HURRICANE (BASED ON LOWEST PRESSURE) IN
ATLANTIC BASIN HISTORY.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
RESIDENTS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA NEED TO PREPARE FOR THE
POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF A NEARBY LANDFALLING MAJOR HURRICANE. THE
POSSIBILITY EXISTS FOR DAMAGING WINDS...HIGH STORM SURGE...AND VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER AT THIS TIME...MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERS
ARE NOT IN EFFECT FOR ANY PORTION OF SOUTHWEST OR SOUTH-CENTRAL
LOUISIANA.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
THE MAIN TORNADO THREAT WILL BE ACROSS SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA. HOWEVER...ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS
SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDES ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING ABOUT THREE-QUARTERS TO ONE FOOT
ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE COAST. KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL
JUST EAST OF GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA. DEPENDING ON THE EXACT TRACK...A
STORM SURGE OF 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE COAST
NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE ATCHAFALAYA RIVER. TIDAL SURGE WILL DECREASE
TO 1 TO 2 FEET NEAR SABINE AND CALCASIEU PASSES.

...WIND IMPACTS...UPDATED
ACROSS THE LOWER ATCHAFALAYA BASIN...NORTHEAST WINDS HAVE ALREADY
INCREASED TO 15 TO 25 MPH AS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE OUTER
BANDS OF KATRINA ARE AFFECTING THE AREA. SUSTAINED WINDS WILL FURTHER
INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT...THEN 45 TO 65 MPH TOWARD
SUNRISE ON MONDAY. GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE
MORGAN CITY...STEPHENSVILLE AND AMELIA AREA MONDAY MORNING. TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE
ATCHAFALAYA BASIN UP TO HENDERSON AND ACROSS SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AS
FAR WEST AS CAMERON.

BASED ON THE EXPECTED WIND SPEEDS AND THE NUMEROUS TREES ACROSS THE
LOWER ATCHAFALAYA BASIN...RESIDENTS IN THESE REGIONS ARE URGED TO BE
CAREFUL OF FALLING TREES. REMEMBER...MOST OF THE DEATHS CAUSED BY
KATRINA AS IT CROSSED SOUTH FLORIDA WERE CAUSED BY FALLING TREES.

ON THE COASTAL WATERS NEAR VERMILION AND ATCHAFALAYA BAYS...
NORTHEAST WINDS WERE RUNNING 20 TO 25 KNOTS THIS EVENING.
SUSTAINED WINDS WILL INCREASE TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE...35 KNOTS...
BY LATE THIS EVENING. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 45 TO 55 KNOTS...WITH GUSTS
TO HURRICANE FORCE...WILL SPREAD OVER THE COASTAL WATERS NEAR THE
MOUTH OF THE ATCHAFALAYA DURING THE MORNING HOURS ON MONDAY WITH SEAS
UP TO 15 FEET.

ELSEWHERE ACROSS SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO
25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH BY MID-MONDAY MORNING. WIND SPEEDS
ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION WILL BE DECREASING BY MONDAY EVENING.

...RAINFALL...
HEAVY RAINS FROM KATRINA WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE COASTAL PARISHES
OF SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA LATE THIS EVENING. RAINFALL TOTALS FROM
3 TO 5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE LOWER PORTIONS OF SAINT MARY AND
SAINT MARTIN PARISHES WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME FLOODING...WHILE RAINFALL
TOTALS FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE AROUND THE REST OF THE
VERMILION BAY REGION AND THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE ATCHAFALAYA BASIN.
THE HEAVY RAINS WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF MONDAY EVENING.

LESSER RAINFALL AMOUNTS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE BY 11 PM.

$$

This weather bulletin was brought to you by:
www.nashvilleweather.net