[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KBMX 291918
HLSBMX
ALZ011>015-017-022>027-030>036-039>044-049-292130-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
200 PM CDT MON AUG 29 2005

...DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA TO BRING HIGH WINDS...HEAVY RAINS...
AND THREAT OF TORNADOES TO CENTRAL ALABAMA...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT PERTAINS TO ALL CENTRAL ALABAMA COUNTIES SERVICED
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR COUNTIES JUST
EAST OF INTERSTATE 65 FROM ONEONTA...TO ROCKFORD...TO TROY...AND
WEST...TO THE MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA STATE LINE UNTIL 10 AM TUESDAY.

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR COUNTIES EAST OF INTERSTATE 65...
EAST OF ONEONTA...TO ROCKFORD...TO TROY...AND EAST...TO THE ALABAMA
GEORGIA STATE LINE UNTIL 10 AM TUESDAY.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM FROM 4 PM TODAY THROUGH 7
PM TUESDAY.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 2 PM CDT...1900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 31.4 NORTH... LONGITUDE 89.6 WEST OR ABOUT 20 MILES
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI.

KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 18 MPH...AND THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY AND TONIGHT.  ON THIS TRACK
THE CENTER WILL CONTINUE MOVING OVER SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI TODAY AND
INTO CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 95 MPH...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  KATRINA IS NOW A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. HURRICANE KATRINA IS FORECASTED TO WEAKEN DURING THE NEXT 24
HOURS AS THE CENTER MOVES FARTHER INLAND.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 125 MILES FROM THE
CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 230 MILES.  FAR FROM THE CENTER...DAUPHIN ISLAND ALABAMA REPORTED
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 76 MPH WITH A GUST TO 102 MPH...MOBILE ALABAMA
REPORTED A WIND GUST TO 83 MPH...AND PENSACOLA FLORIDA REPORTED
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 52 MPH WITH A GUST TO 69 MPH.  EVERGREEN ALABAMA
REPORTED A WIND GUST OF 45 MPH.  WIND DAMAGE HAS BEEN REPORTED IN
SOUTHERN TALLAPOOSA COUNTY FROM A THUNDERSTORM.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 955 MB...28.720INCHES.


...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED THEIR
NECESSARY PREPARATION PLANS.  THE OUTER RAIN BANDS HAVE STARTED TO
MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.  HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS WILL SPREAD
NORTHWARD INTO THE AREA THROUGH THE REST OF TODAY.

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES ARE ANTICIPATED WITH THE CURRENT
FORECAST TRACK OF KATRINA...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE WESTERN COUNTIES
OF SUMTER...GREENE...HALE...MARENGO...PICKENS...TUSCALOOSA...
FAYETTE...LAMAR...AND MARION. IF THE POWER OUTAGES LAST FOR ANY
DURATION AND A GENERATOR IS NECESSARY...PLEASE REMEMBER THAT
GENERATOR USE INDOORS CAN BE DEADLY DUE TO THE CARBON MONOXIDE GAS
PRODUCED. GENERATORS SHOULD NOT BE USED INDOORS...BUT IF NO
ALTERNATIVE EXISTS...USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OPERATING GENERATORS
INDOORS AND PROVIDE ADEQUATE VENTILATION FOR THE MACHINE.

SECURE ALL LOOSE OBJECTS...SUCH AS PATIO FURNITURE AND TRASH
CANS...OR MOVE THEM INDOORS. BRING YOUR PETS INDOORS. FLOODING...
ESPECIALLY FLASH FLOODING...WILL BE A PROBLEM DUE TO THE VERY
HEAVY RAIN BANDS ASSOCIATED WITH KATRINA. FLOODING CAN BE
ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT...WHERE WATER CAN QUICKLY FLOOD
ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS. IN ADDITION...VISIBILITIES ARE
LIMITED IN THE DARK. DO NOT TRY TO CROSS FLOODED ROADWAYS...TURN
AROUND...DON'T DROWN.

...WIND IMPACTS...
WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON...BEGINNING IN THE SOUTH AND SPREADING NORTHWARD. THE WINDS
ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THEIR HIGHEST STRENGTH BETWEEN 6 PM TODAY AND 6
AM TUESDAY MORNING.

THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE ALONG AND JUST EAST OF THE HURRICANE
TRACK...AFFECTING AREAS NEAR THE ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE
WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 45 TO 65 MPH...WITH GUSTS TO NEAR HURRICANE
FORCE. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL EXTEND AS FAR EAST AS
INTERSTATE 65...FROM ONEONTA...TO ROCKFORD...TO TROY...AND WHERE
WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH A FEW GUSTS TO AROUND 60
MPH. LOCATIONS EAST OF ONEONTA...TO ROCKFORD...TO TROY...CAN EXPECT
WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH...WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

WINDS AT THESE SPEEDS...IN COMBINATION OF SATURATED SOILS...CAN
TOPPLE NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES...CAUSING POWER OUTAGES.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF HURRICANE KATRINA...3 TO 6
INCHES OF RAINFALL...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 8 INCHES...ARE
POSSIBLE WEST OF INTERSTATE 65...WITH 2 TO 5 INCHES EXPECTED EAST OF
INTERSTATE 65.

RAINFALL ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA DURING THE PAST MONTH HAS LED TO
SATURATED GROUND CONDITIONS...AND ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL
RESULT IN RAPID RUNOFF AND POTENTIAL FLASH FLOODING.

HEAVY RAINFALL FROM KATRINA WILL CAUSE MAINLY MINOR RIVER FLOODING...
ESPECIALLY IN THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE.  THIS FLOODING
WILL LAST FOR SEVERAL DAYS.  DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE WATER BEGINS
RISING TO MAKE PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIVES AND PROPERTY.
EVACUATIONS FROM LOWLANDS MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE DUE TO DOWNED TREES AND
POWERLINES AND RAPIDLY RISING WATER. PREPARATIONS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY
BEEN BE BROUGHT TO COMPLETION.

...TORNADO THREAT...
AS RAIN BANDS ROTATE NORTHWARD INTO CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY...THEY
WILL BRING THE THREAT OF TORNADOES TO THE AREA.  THE THREAT FOR
TORNADOES WILL BE ENHANCED DURING THE AFTERNOON DUE TO DAYTIME
HEATING PROVIDING ADDITIONAL INSTABILITY AND LIFT TO SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS.  THE THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL EXTEND INTO TONIGHT...
AND POSSIBLY INTO EARLY TUESDAY.

...ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...
THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAS SET UP A HOT LINE
FOR ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION IN SOUTH ALABAMA.  THE ACCESS NUMBER
IS 1-888-588-2848.  THIS INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE
DEPARTMENT'S WEB SITE...AT HTTP://WWW.DOT.STATE.AL.US/.

TO REPORT DOWN POWER LINES TO PLEASE CALL ALABAMA POWER AT 800-888-
2726.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...OR DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE KATRINA...CALL
OUR STORM REPORTING HOTLINE AT 1-800-856-0758.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 4 PM CDT.

&&

$$



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