[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMLB 240040
HLSMLB
AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147-
240400-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
840 PM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005

...HURRICANE WILMA STRENGTHENING WHILE ACCELERATING TOWARD FLORIDA...

...NEW INFORMATION...
WILMA IS NOW A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE WITH MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 110 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.

CURRENTLY...AHEAD OF WILMAS ARRIVAL...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT
FOR MUCH OF THE WEST HALF OF THE PENINSULA. A TORNADO WATCH WILL BE
ISSUED FOR EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA LATER THIS EVENING OR DURING THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS ON MONDAY. HOWEVER...A DANGEROUS AND PERSISTENT
TORNADO PRODUCING THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING NORTH THROUGH WESTERN
BREVARD COUNTY AT 812 PM WITH A WARNING IN EFFECT.

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM JUPITER INLET TO
TITUSVILLE...WITH A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM NORTH OF
TITUSVILLE TO FLAGLER BEACH.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR OKEECHOBEE AND
OSCEOLA COUNTIES. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING
IS IN EFFECT FOR ORANGE...LAKE...SEMINOLE AND INTERIOR VOLUSIA
COUNTIES.

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE.

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN IN
BREVARD...VOLUSIA...SAINT LUCIE...MARTIN...INDIAN RIVER...
OKEECHOBEE...ORANGE...SEMINOLE...VOLUSIA AND LAKE COUNTIES.

...STORM INFORMATION...
THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 23.9
NORTH...LONGITUDE 84.4 WEST OR ABOUT 170 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF
KEY WEST FLORIDA AND ABOUT 340 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT PIERCE.

WILMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH...WITH AN ADDITIONAL
INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED EXPECTED.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. NOW THAT
THE SUN HAS SET...RESIDENTS SHOULD BE BRINGING THEIR HURRICANE
PREPARATIONS TO AN END AND BE RETREATING TO THEIR DESIGNATED
SAFE PLACE ACCORDING TO THEIR ACTION PLAN. IMPORTANTLY...RESIDENTS
SHOULD LISTEN FOR TORNADO WARNINGS FOR THEIR AREA THIS EVENING AND BE
READY TO TAKE COVER.

IF TORNADO WARNINGS ARE ISSUED LATER TONIGHT AND MONDAY...PLEASE TAKE
THEM SERIOUSLY. IN THE EVENT OF A TORNADO...OR DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WITH
THE INNER RAINBANDS OF WILMA...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN AN INTERIOR
ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A BLOCK HOME AWAY FROM WINDOWS. FOR THOSE
LIVING IN MANUFACTURED HOMES...CHECK WITH COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGERS
FOR SHELTER LOCATIONS. THERE IS STILL TIME THIS EVENING TO SAFELY
MOVE TO SHELTERS...PROVIDING A TORNADO WARNING IS NOT IN EFFECT FOR
YOUR AREA.

HURRICANE WILMA CONTINUES ON TRACK TO APPROACH THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF
FLORIDA EARLY MONDAY AND ACCELERATE VERY RAPIDLY ACROSS THE PENINSULA
DURING THE DAY.

...WIND IMPACTS...
THE GREATEST THREAT FROM WILMA ACROSS EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA IS FOR
DESTRUCTIVE WINDS. THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND FIELD IS VERY LARGE
AND THEREFORE WILL ARRIVE WELL BEFORE THE APPROACH OF THE CORE WINDS.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN ACROSS OKEECHOBEE...
OSCEOLA...MARTIN...SAINT LUCIE AND INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES VERY EARLY
MONDAY MORNING AND SPREAD ACROSS BREVARD...ORANGE...LAKE...
SEMINOLE...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES STARTING BEFORE 8 AM. HURRICANE
FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN IMPACTING OKEECHOBEE...
MARTIN...SOUTHERN OSCEOLA AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES AFTER SUNRISE...
AND POSSIBLY SPREAD INTO INDIAN RIVER AND SOUTHERN BREVARD COUNTIES
BY MID MORNING.

BECAUSE THE OF THE RAPID MOVEMENT OF WILMA...WINDS WILL BE HIGHEST
IMMEDIATELY NEAR THE CENTER AND TO THE RIGHT. IT IS LIKELY THAT A
BAND OF DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 100 MPH WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE PENINSULA MONDAY MORNING. THESE DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WILL BE
CAPABLE OF CAUSING DAMAGE TO ROOFING MATERIALS...AS WELL AS EXPOSED
DOORS AND WINDOWS. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE WILL OCCUR TO MOBILE
HOMES THAT HAPPEN TO BE IN THE PATH OF THE DESTRUCTIVE WINDS.
SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES WILL OCCUR FROM DOWNED TREES AND LARGE SIGNS.
A FEW ROADS MAY BECOME BLOCKED DUE TO SOME LARGE DEBRIS...ESPECIALLY
WITHIN THE MAIN WIND SWATH OF THE CORE WINDS.

THE LOCATIONS THAT MAY EXPERIENCE THE GREATEST WIND IMPACT WILL NOT
BE KNOWN UNTIL MONDAY MORNING. BY THAT TIME WILMA WILL BE MOVING VERY
FAST. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL
FLORIDA THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON AND BEGIN WEAKENING RAPIDLY BY LATE
AFTERNOON AS WILMA CONTINUES TO MOVE OFFSHORE INTO THE ATLANTIC. A
COLD FRONT WILL BE PULLED SOUTHWARD BEHIND WILMA AND GUSTY NORTHERLY
WINDS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
STRONG AND LONGER-LIVED TORNADOES HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED IN THE
KEYS...AND ALSO BETWEEN FORT DRUM IN OKEECHOBEE COUNTY TO BREVARD
COUNTY WEST OF PALM BAY.

THE THREAT OF STRONG AND LONGER-LIVED TORNADOES WILL BE INCREASING
TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH MID DAY MONDAY.
THE GREATEST RISK OF TORNADOES WILL BE IN OUTER RAINBANDS PRECEDING
WILMA AND IN THE INNER RAINBANDS NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE CENTER
OF WILMA AS IT RAPIDLY CROSSES THE PENINSULA EARLY MONDAY.

LATE SEASON TROPICAL CYCLONES MOVING IN FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO HAVE
PRODUCED KILLER TORNADOES IN THE PAST. THEREFORE...TAKE TORNADO
WARNINGS SERIOUSLY.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA THROUGH
MONDAY. BECAUSE WILMA WILL BE MOVING RAPIDLY ACROSS THE STATE...
WIDESPREAD EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OF A COUPLE INCHES MAY OCCUR IN HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS EVENING ALONG AND JUST TO THE NORTH
OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE AS
OUTER RAINBANDS FROM WILMA LIFT NORTHWARD UP THE FLORIDA PENINSULA
AND INTERSECT THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THE HEAVIEST RAINS ARE EXPECTED
TO OCCUR LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING MAINLY FROM ORLANDO
SOUTHWARD AS THE CORE OF HURRICANE WILMA MOVES ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA.

WHILE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PINPOINT EXACTLY WHERE THIS MIGHT OCCUR...
IT APPEARS THAT THE COASTAL COUNTIES WILL BE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO
THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...OR IN AN
AREA THAT IS ALREADY EXPERIENCING DRAINAGE PROBLEMS...COMPLETE
PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY BY THIS EVENING.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
BECAUSE OF THE ANTICIPATED RAPID MOVEMENT OF WILMA AND THE MOVEMENT
OFFSHORE INTO THE ATLANTIC...HIGH IMPACT STORM SURGE AND COASTAL
FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...A STORM TIDE OF PERHAPS 3 OR 4
FEET IS POSSIBLE BEFORE AND AROUND THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE MID DAY
MONDAY...NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER OF WILMA MOVES OFFSHORE. EXTREMELY
ROUGH SURF...BEACH EROSION...AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS CAN BE
EXPECTED ALONG ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA BEACHES AS WILMA MOVES OUT
INTO THE ATLANTIC.

...MARINE IMPACTS...
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM FOR MARINERS DUE TO ITS RAPID
APPROACH AND ACCELERATION FROM THE SOUTHWEST ON MONDAY. MARINE
CONDITIONS WILL QUICKLY BECOME HAZARDOUS THIS EVENING WITH BUILDING
SEAS AND THEN BECOME EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ON MONDAY. MARINERS
SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY NWS MELBOURNE BY
MIDNIGHT...OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.

A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT CAN BE
VIEWED ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB PAGE AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MLB AND CLICKING ON WILMA LOCAL INFO.

$$

DWS

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