[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KJAX 240251
HLSJAX
FLZ024-025-033-038-240900-

HURRICANE WILMA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
1050 PM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR FLAGLER AND ST JOHNS
COUNTIES...
...A TROPICAL STORM WATCH CONTINUES FOR DUVAL AND NASSAU COUNTIES...
...A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT ON MONDAY FOR CLAY...DUVAL...
MARION...NASSAU AND PUTNAM COUNTIES...
...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR MOST OF NORTHEAST
FLORIDA...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA...DUVAL...FLAGLER...NASSAU
AND ST JOHNS.

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM TITUSVILLE NORTH TO
ST. AUGUSTINE. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN SOME PORTION OF THE WARNED AREA. A
TROPICAL STORM WATCH CONTINUES FROM ST AUGUSTINE NORTH TO FLAGLER
BEACH. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS
ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT
THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR MOST OF NORTH FLORIDA.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 11 PM EDT...THE LARGE EYE OF MAJOR HURRICANE WILMA WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.4 NORTH... LONGITUDE 83.7 WEST OR ABOUT
120 MILES...WEST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA AND ABOUT 170 MILES...SOUTHWEST
OF NAPLES FLORIDA.

WILMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 18 MPH. A CONTINUED
NORTHEASTWARD MOTION...WITH A GRADUAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED...
IS EXPECTED TONIGHT AND MONDAY. ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER OF WILMA
IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF THE
FLORIDA PENINSULA EARLY MONDAY MORNING.  HOWEVER...WILMA IS A LARGE
HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL REACH THE FLORIDA
PENINSULA WELL BEFORE THE EYE MAKES LANDFALL.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 115 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WILMA
IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. LITTLE
CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED UNTIL LANDFALL OCCURS...AND WILMA WILL
LIKELY MAKE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE. SOME SLOW WEAKENING
IS FORECAST AS WILMA CROSSES THE SOUTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA... BUT
THE HURRICANE IS FORECAST TO STILL BE A SIGNIFICANT CATEGORY TWO
HURRICANE BY THE TIME THE CENTER REACHES THE FLORIDA EAST COAST EARLY
MONDAY AFTERNOON.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
WHILE THE MAIN IMPACTS FROM WILMA ARE EXPECTED TO BE TO OUR SOUTH...
THE COMBINATION OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE PLAINS STATES AND THE LARGE
WIND FIELD AROUND WILMA WILL BRING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OVER
THE NORTHEAST FLORIDA COASTAL WATERS AND POSSIBLY THE ADJACENT
COASTAL AREAS ON MONDAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ON MONDAY OVER THE
GEORGIA WATERS FROM ALTAMAHA SOUND SOUTHWARD TO FERNANDINA BEACH AND
BEYOND 20 NAUTICAL MILES. MARINERS AND COASTAL RESIDENTS IN THE WATCH
AREA SHOULD MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS. IN ADDITION TO STRONG WINDS...INCREASING TROPICAL
MOISTURE WILL CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL TONIGHT
AND MONDAY.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
BUILDING SURF CONDITIONS AND AN INCREASED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WILL
DEVELOP IN THE WATCH AREA THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON. TIDES WILL RUN 1
TO 2 FEET ABOVE ASTRONOMICAL TIDE LEVELS WITH MINOR COASTAL FLOODING
AND BEACH EROSION POSSIBLE AT THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE.

...MARINE IMPACTS...
SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE.
NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE THROUGH MONDAY WITH
SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS LIKELY OVER THE FLORIDA COASTAL
WATERS AS WELL AS GEORGIA WATERS BEYOND 20 NAUTICAL MILES. SEAS WILL
RAPIDLY BUILD TONIGHT WITH COMBINED SEAS OF 10 TO 15 FEET EXPECTED
MONDAY. LOCAL INLETS WILL EXPERIENCE LARGE AND DANGEROUS BREAKERS
THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY AT ST ANDREWS SOUND
MAY BECOME HAZARDOUS TO NAVIGATION ON MONDAY DUE TO LARGE BREAKERS.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
LOCAL RAINFALL HAS BEEN INCREASING IN BOTH AERIAL COVERAGE AND
INTENSITY OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS AND THIS TREND SHOULD CONTINUE
UNTIL WILMA MOVES EAST OF THE AREA. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND
LOCALIZED FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE. GENERAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5
INCHES ARE POSSIBLE SOUTH OF STATE ROAD 16 WITH 1 TO 3 INCHES
EXPECTED FARTHER NORTH. LOCALLY HIGHER RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE
POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN AREAS WHERE RAINBANDS REMAIN STATIONARY.

...WIND IMPACTS...
THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ON MONDAY ALONG THE
IMMEDIATE COAST AND INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY FROM FLAGLER BEACH TO ST
AUGUSTINE. IN THIS AREA SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. COASTAL AREAS OF DUVAL AND NASSAU COUNTIES CAN
EXPECT WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM
FORCE. INLAND PORTIONS OF DUVAL...NASSAU...ST JOHNS AND FLAGLER
COUNTIES AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF CLAY...MARION AND PUTNAM COUNTIES CAN
EXPECT WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM
INTENSITY IN THE STRONGER RAINBANDS. THE REMAINING PORTIONS OF NORTH
FLORIDA AS WELL AS CAMDEN AND GLYNN COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST GEORGIA CAN
EXPECT WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH WITH OCCASIONALLY HIGHER GUSTS.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
THE TORNADO THREAT WILL INCREASE THROUGH SUNRISE OVER PORTIONS OF
FLAGLER...MARION...PUTNAM AND ST JOHNS COUNTIES AS THE FRONTAL
BOUNDARY OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA MOVES SLOWLY NORTHWARD. DAMAGING
TORNADOES HAVE OCCURRED OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA AND INTERESTS SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS. ELSEWHERE THERE IS THE
POSSIBILITY AN ISOLATED TORNADO OVERNIGHT.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THIS NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT ON HURRICANE WILMA WILL BE ISSUED
AROUND 500 AM EDT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSONVILLE.

$$

SANDRIK
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