[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTBW 082112
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-090330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE DENNIS LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
510 PM EDT FRI JUL 8 2005

...DANGEROUS HURRICANE DENNIS MOVING NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS WESTERN
CUBA...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH IN LEE
COUNTY NORTHWARD TO ANCLOTE KEY IN PINELLAS COUNTY...

...NEW INFORMATION...
POWERFUL HURRICANE DENNIS FINALLY MADE LANDFALL IN WESTERN CUBA THIS
AFTERNOON.  THIS HAS CAUSED THE HURRICANE TO WEAKEN SLIGHTLY...
HOWEVER DENNIS REMAINS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS OF 135 MPH.  MOVEMENT WAS NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH.

DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A MAJOR HURRICANE AS IT MOVES OVER THE
FLORIDA STRAITS THIS EVENING AND THE SOUTHEAST GULF OF MEXICO
TONIGHT.  A TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WEST
COAST OF FLORIDA FROM BONITA BEACH NORTH TO ANCLOTE KEY.  A TROPICAL
STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM ANCLOTE KEY NORTH TO THE SUWANNEE
RIVER.

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
CITRUS...CHARLOTTE...DESOTO...HERNANDO...HILLSBOROUGH...LEE...
LEVY...MANATEE...PASCO...PINELLAS...SARASOTA...HARDEE...
HIGHLANDS...POLK...SUMTER...

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH NORTH TO
ANCLOTE KEY.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM ANCLOTE KEY TO THE SUWANNEE
RIVER.

...STORM LOCATION...
AT 5 PM EDT... THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 22.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.1 WEST OR ABOUT 295 MILES SOUTH
OF FORT MYERS.  THIS IS ALSO ABOUT 400 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF THE
TAMPA BAY REGION.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
THE PRIMARY AREA FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT IN TROPICAL SYSTEMS IS THE
RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT OF THE STORM.  AS DENNIS MOVES NORTHWESTWARD
OVER THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...THAT PART
OF THE STORM WILL AFFECT WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
THEREFORE INCREASING THE TORNADO THREAT FOR THE AREA.  THERE COULD
BE AN ISOLATED TORNADO LATER TODAY OR THIS EVENING OVER SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA...BUT THE GREATER THREAT WILL BE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AS THE CENTER OF DENNIS PASSES OUR LATITUDE...INCREASING THE
THREAT FOR TORNADIC ACTIVITY.

STAY TUNED FOR POSSIBLE TORNADO WATCHES AND WARNINGS...ESPECIALLY
SATURDAY.

...WIND IMPACTS...
DENNIS WILL MOVE NORTHWEST ACROSS THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO
SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY PRODUCING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OVER THE
COASTAL WATERS...WITH GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE POSSIBLE OVER THE
OUTER WATERS.  TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL SPREAD OVER CHARLOTTE
AND LEE COUNTIES SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE SATURDAY...SARASOTA AND
MANATEE COUNTIES BY MID AFTERNOON SATURDAY...AND OVER PINELLAS AND
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES SATURDAY EVENING.  STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR
AT THE IMMEDIATE COAST.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
AS DENNIS MOVES NORTHWESTWARD SATURDAY...WINDS WILL BECOME ONSHORE
SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT AND BEGIN TO RAISE WATER LEVELS 4 TO 6
FEET ABOVE NORMAL FROM PINELLAS COUNTY SOUTH TO LEE COUNTY...WITH
THE HIGHEST WATER EXPECTED ON SOUTH FACING EXPOSURES INCLUDING
CHARLOTTE HARBOR.  WATER LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE DURING THE
EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS ALONG THE LEE AND CHARLOTTE COUNTY COAST...MID
AFTERNOON ALONG SARASOTA COUNTY...AND DURING THE EVENING HOURS ALONG
THE MANATEE...HILLSBOROUGH...AND PINELLAS COUNTY COAST.

WATER LEVELS 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IS EXPECTED FROM PASCO COUNTY
TO CITRUS COUNTY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING...WITH 3 TO 5
FEET ABOVE NORMAL IN LEVY COUNTY. THE HIGHEST WATER EXPECTED ON
SOUTH FACING EXPOSURES.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
THE CURRENT FORECAST MOVEMENT OF DENNIS WILL BRING OCCASIONAL BANDS
OF TORRENTIAL RAIN...BECOMING MOST FREQUENT SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AS THE CENTER PASSES BY. ADDITIONAL DOWNPOURS WILL OCCUR
SUNDAY AS A FINAL BROAD FEEDER BAND PASSES THROUGH.

STORM TOTALS WILL RANGE FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES...MAINLY NEAR THE
COAST...WITH LESSER AMOUNTS INLAND.  LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS MAY
OCCUR WHERE PERSISTENT BANDS DEVELOP.  BUT THIS IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT
ON THE EVENTUAL TRACK DENNIS TAKES ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO.
SEVERAL RIVERS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA REMAIN NEAR OR ABOVE FLOOD
STAGE...AND ANY ADDITIONAL RAINS WILL PERPETUATE FLOODING IN THESE
AREAS.  HOWEVER...ONLY MINOR FLOODING IS EXPECTED.

...MARINE IMPACTS...
AS DENNIS MOVES NORTH THROUGH THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO...WINDS AND
SEAS WILL INCREASE GREATLY OVER THE EAST CENTRAL GULF MAKING
CONDITIONS HAZARDOUS LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.
MARINERS SHOULD POSTPONE TRAVEL UNTIL AFTER DENNIS MOVES INLAND AND
WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD PLAN TO REMAIN IN PORT
UNTIL CONDITIONS IMPROVE.

...NEXT STATEMENT...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN RUSKIN WILL BE ISSUED BETWEEN 11 AND 1130 PM TONIGHT.

$$

EO





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