[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KJAX 240856
HLSJAX
FLZ024-025-033-038-241600-

HURRICANE WILMA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
500 AM EDT MON OCT 24 2005

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR FLAGLER AND ST JOHNS
COUNTIES...
...A TROPICAL STORM WATCH CONTINUES FOR DUVAL AND NASSAU COUNTIES...
...A WIND ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR CLAY...DUVAL...MARION...NASSAU
AND PUTNAM COUNTIES...
...A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THROUGH THIS 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 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 FERNANDINA
BEACH. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS
ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT
THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR MOST OF NORTH FLORIDA.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
25.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE  82.4 WEST OR ABOUT 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
NAPLES FLORIDA.

WILMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 20 MPH AND AN INCREASE IN
FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.  ON THIS TRACK
THE CENTER WILL MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA COAST
IN A FEW HOURS AND CROSS THE SOUTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA LATER
TODAY.

DATA RECEIVED FROM AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE INDICATE THAT
THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 125 MPH...WITH
HIGHER GUSTS.  WILMA IS A STRONG CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE.  NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS
EXPECTED BEFORE LANDFALL.  SOME WEAKENING IS LIKELY AS WILMA
CROSSES THE SOUTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA TODAY.

...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 TO THE ADJACENT
COASTAL AREAS TODAY.

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

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
BUILDING SURF CONDITIONS AND AN INCREASED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WILL
DEVELOP THROUGH THIS EVENING. 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 TODAY 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 TO 10 TO 15 FEET. LOCAL INLETS MAY EXPERIENCE LARGE AND
DANGEROUS BREAKERS THROUGH TONIGHT. THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY AT ST
ANDREWS SOUND MAY BECOME HAZARDOUS TO NAVIGATION DUE TO LARGE
BREAKERS. A NORTHEAST SWELL WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL DAYS AS WILMA
MOVES INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
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 AMOUNTS EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. LOCALLY HIGHER RAINFALL
TOTALS ARE POSSIBLE.

...WIND IMPACTS...
THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE THIS MORNING AND
THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE IMMEDIATE BEACHES 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 LATE THIS MORNING AND
AFTERNOON. COASTAL AREAS OF DUVAL AND NASSAU COUNTIES CAN EXPECT
WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH OCCASIONALLY HIGHER GUSTS. INLAND PORTIONS
OF DUVAL...NASSAU...ST JOHNS AND FLAGLER COUNTIES AS WELL AS PORTIONS
OF CLAY...MARION AND PUTNAM COUNTIES CAN EXPECT WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH
WITH OCCASIONALLY;Y HIGHER GUSTS 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 THE MORNING HOURS OVER
PORTIONS OF FLAGLER...MARION AND PUTNAM COUNTIES AS A FRONTAL
BOUNDARY OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA MOVES SLOWLY NORTHWARD. DAMAGING
TORNADOES HAVE OCCURRED OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA AND INTERESTS IN THE
MENTIONED COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THIS NEXT HURRICANE WILMA LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN JACKSONVILLE WILL BE ISSUED AROUND NOON EDT...OR
EARLIER SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.

$$

SANDRIK

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