[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLCH 291119
HLSLCH

LAZ029-033-044-045-051>055-291330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
616 AM CDT MON AUG 29 2005

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE KATRINA PREPARING
   TO MOVE ONSHORE NEAR SOUTHERN PLAQUEMINES PARISH LOUISIANA...

...HURRICANE-FORCE WIND GUSTS OCCURRING OVER MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN
   LOUISIANA...IN THE NEW ORLEANS METROPOLITAN AREA...AND AS FAR
   EAST AS THE CHANDELEUR ISLANDS...

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

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

...WATCHES/WARNING...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SAINT MARY PARISH. 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 ALREADY BE COMPLETED.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FROM
WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA INCLUDING
VERMILION...ST MARY AND IBERIA PARISH. 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 INCLUDING CAMERON PARISH. .

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 7 PM MONDAY
FOR AVOYELLES...SAINT LANDRY...SAINT MARTIN AND LAFAYETTE PARISHES.
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 TODAY FOR IBERIA...SAINT MARY...AND SAINT
MARTIN PARISHES. 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 8 AM...THE CENTER OF MAJOR HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 29.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.6 WEST...OR ABOUT 105 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA.

KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 15 MPH...AND THIS MOTION IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY. A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST IS
AT A SLIGHTLY FASTER FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT AND ON
TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...KATRINA WILL MOVE ONSHORE THE
SOUTHERN COAST OF PLAQUEMINES PARISH NEAR EMPIRE AND BURAS LOUISIANA
WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR...AND REACH THE LOUISIANA-MISSISSIPPI BORDER
AREA BY EARLY AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO STEADILY
DETERIORATE OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN
LOUISIANA...SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA THROUGHOUT
THE DAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 145 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA
IS A STRONG CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME
FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY PRIOR TO LANDFALL...BUT KATRINA
IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE.

KATRINA REMAINS A VERY LARGE HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 120 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES. DURING THE PAST HOUR...A
SUSTAINED WIND OF 56 MPH WITH A GUST TO 85 MPH WAS REPORTED AT NEW
ORLEANS LAKEFRONT AIRPORT...AND A SUSTAINED WIND OF 74 MPH WITH A
GUST TO 96 MPH WAS REPORTED AT THE NAVAL AIR STATION IN BELLE
CHASSE LOUISIANA.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE
AIRCRAFT WAS 918 MB...27.11 INCHES.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
RESIDENTS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA SHOULD ALREADY BE PREPARED 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 THIS MORNING.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDES ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING ABOUT ONE FOOT ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE
COAST. KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL NEAR EMPIRE AND BURAS
LOUISIANA. 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 25 TO 35 MPH. SUSTAINED WINDS WILL FURTHER INCREASE TO
45 TO 65 MPH TOWARD SUNRISE THIS MORNING. GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE
WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MORGAN CITY...STEPHENSVILLE AND AMELIA AREA
THIS 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 25 TO 35 KNOTS AROUND 6 AM THIS
MORNING. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 45 TO 55 KNOTS...WITH GUSTS TO HURRICANE
FORCE...WILL SPREAD OVER THE COASTAL WATERS NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE
ATCHAFALAYA AROUND SUNRISE THIS MORNING 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-MORNING TODAY. WIND SPEEDS
ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION WILL BE DECREASING BY THIS EVENING.

...RAINFALL...
HEAVY RAINS FROM KATRINA WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE COASTAL PARISHES
OF SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA THIS MORNING. RAINFALL TOTALS FROM
2 TO 4 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 THIS 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 8:30 AM.

$$

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