[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KJAN 092055
HLSJAN
MSZ026>033-036>039-042>046-048>052-054>058-062>066-072>074-100100-

HURRICANE DENNIS LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
400 PM CDT SAT JUL 9 2005

...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND INLAND HURRICANE WATCH PORTIONS
OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON TAIL DAYBREAK MONDAY...

...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WATCH FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EAST
MISSISSIPPI FOR SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...

...HURRICANE DENNIS MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST GULF AND TAKING AIM
ON THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF COAST...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS SPECIFIC ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS
OF CENTRAL AND EAST MISSISSIPPI.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND INLAND HURRICANE WATCH IS IN
EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...THIS INCLUDES
CLARKE...FORREST...JASPER...JONES...AND LAMAR COUNTIES.

THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO MUCH OF CENTRAL
AND EAST MISSISSIPPI...THIS INCLUDES ATTALA...CARROLL...CHOCTAW...
CLAY...COPIAH...COVINGTON...GRENADA...HINDS...HOLMES...JEFFERSON
DAVIS...KEMPER...LAUDERDALE...LAWRENCE...LEAKE...LINCOLN...LOWNDES...
MADISON...MARION...MONTGOMERY...NESHOBA...NEWTON...NOXUBEE...
OKTIBBEHA...RANKIN...SCOTT...SIMPSON...SMITH...WEBSTER...WINSTON...
AND YAZOO COUNTIES.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF MISSISSIPPI...
GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 55.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 4 PM CDT...2100Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 25.7 NORTH... LONGITUDE 84.6 WEST ABOUT 415 MILES...
670 KM...SOUTHEAST OF BILOXI MISSISSIPPI.

DENNIS IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH...AND THIS MOTION
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY WITH A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE
NORTH-NORTHWEST TONIGHT OR SUNDAY

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS RECENTLY REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE
RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WERE NEAR 105 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
DENNIS IS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24
HOURS...AND DENNIS WILL BECOME A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE AGAIN LATER
TONIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY.

DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF COAST...
AS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS
MAY IMPACT PORTIONS OF INLAND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI SUNDAY NIGHT.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
SHELTERS ARE BEING OPENED IN SOME AREAS...PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE OR WATCH LOCAL TV FOR LOCATIONS OF
THESE SHELTERS. YOU CAN ALSO REFER TO THE MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT WEBSITE AT: WWW.MSEMA.BORG.

RESIDENTS OF EAST MISSISSIPPI SHOULD CONTINUE PREPARATIONS FOR
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAIN FOR LATE SUNDAY
THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. SECURE ANY OUTDOOR ITEMS THAT COULD BECOME
AIRBORNE SINCE HIGH WINDS WILL PERSIST FOR SEVERAL HOURS AS THE STORM
PASSES.

...WIND IMPACTS...
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 70 MPH ARE
ANTICIPATED TO BEGIN DEVELOPING SUNDAY AFTER 5 PM OVER SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI. A FEW GUSTS COULD APPROACH HURRICANE FORCE ROUGHLY
SOUTHEAST OF A QUITMAN TO LAUREL TO HATTIESBURG LINE SUNDAY NIGHT.
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH ARE
ANTICIPATED TO BEGIN DEVELOPING SUNDAY EVENING OVER EAST CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI...THEN SPREADING WEST AND NORTH TO ALONG A BROOKHAVEN TO
BRANDON TO STARKVILLE LINE BY MIDNIGHT.

DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO BE AT LEAST A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE WITH
WINDS AROUND 125 MPH WHEN IT MOVES ON. ONCE ON...DENNIS
WILL BEGIN WEAKENING AS IT MOVES TOWARD EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THE
HIGHEST WINDS WILL BE ALONG AND NEAR THE CENTER OF DENNIS...WHERE
TREES AND POWER LINES WILL LIKELY BE DAMAGED. ANY WESTWARD SHIFT IN
THE TRACK WILL MEAN STRONGER WINDS.

...RAINFALL...
WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH
ISOLATED AMOUNTS UP TO 7 INCHES POSSIBLE AS DENNIS MOVES ACROSS EAST
MISSISSIPPI. GROUND CONDITIONS ARE FAIRLY DRY BUT THREE INCHES OF
RAIN IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME WILL PROMOTE RUNOFF AND RESULT IN A
DANGEROUS FLASH FLOOD SITUATION AS DENNIS MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. IF
FLOODING IS ENCOUNTERED...REMEMBER TO TURN AROUND AND DON'T DROWN.
MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES TRYING TO CROSS WATER OF
UNKNOWN DEPTH.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT SCHEDULED LOCAL ACTION STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 8 PM.

$$

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