[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTBW 241115
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-241330-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
715 AM EDT MON OCT 24 2005

...WILMA MAKES LANDFALL IN COLLIER COUNTY OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...

...NEW INFORMATION...
HURRICANE WILMA CONTINUES AS A CATEGORY 3 STORM WITH MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 120 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME WEAKENING IS
LIKELY AS WILMA CROSSES THE SOUTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA TODAY.

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTLINE AND TIDAL
SHORELINES OF LEE...CHARLOTTE...DESOTO...AND SARASOTA COUNTIES.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR NON COASTAL OR NON TIDAL
LOCATIONS OF LEE...CHARLOTTE...DESOTO...HARDEE...HIGHLANDS AND
SARASOTA COUNTIES.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTLINE AND TIDAL
SHORELINES OF MANATEE...PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...PASCO...HERNANDO
CITRUS AND LEVY COUNTIES.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR NON COASTAL OR
NON TIDAL LOCATIONS OF MANATEE...PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...
PASCO...HERNANDO...CITRUS...SUMTER AND LEVY COUNTIES.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CHARLOTTE AND LEE COUNTIES
INTO EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA
FROM CITRUS COUNTY SOUTHWARD UNTIL 11 AM EDT TODAY. THE THREAT FOR
TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING AS ADDITIONAL RAINBANDS FROM
WILMA REACH THE AREA. ANY TORNADOES WILL BE FAST MOVING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 7 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 26.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.4 WEST OR ABOUT 46 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF FORT MYERS AND 144 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TAMPA.
WILMA WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 23 MPH.

...WIND IMPACTS...
DANGEROUS WINDS ARE EXPECTED THIS MORNING IN LEE COUNTY AND POSSIBLY
CHARLOTTE...DESOTO...AND HIGHLANDS COUNTY. A PERIOD OF SUSTAINED
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...50 TO 60 MPH...IS EXPECTED THROUGH 9 AM.
BECAUSE WILMA IS EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN AT LEAST CATEGORY 3 STRENGTH
WHILE ACCELERATING INLAND...GUSTS TO 80 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN STRONGER
SQUALLS.

FOR SARASOTA AND HARDEE COUNTIES...SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 65 MPH...ARE POSSIBLE
THROUGH 10 AM.

IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA AND POINTS NORTH THROUGH HERNANDO COUNTY...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL ABOUT NOON WITH
SUSTAINED WINDS BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH.

IMPACTS FOR CHARLOTTE AND LEE COUNTY INCLUDE:
POORLY CONSTRUCTED OR UNSECURED MOBILE HOMES WILL BE HEAVILY DAMAGED
OR DESTROYED. OTHERS WILL HAVE SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WALLS...
AND WINDOWS...AND WILL LIKELY BE UNINHABITABLE UNTIL REPAIRED.
HOUSES OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL HAVE PARTIAL WALL AND
ROOF FAILURE...AS WELL AS BLOWN OUT WINDOWS.  MOST LANAI SCREENS AND
POOL CAGES WILL HAVE DAMAGE...SOME WILL BE DESTROYED. UNSECURED LIGHT
TO MODERATE WEIGHT OUTDOOR ITEMS WILL BECOME PROJECTILES...CAUSING
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND PERHAPS INJURY.  MANY AREAS WILL HAVE POWER
OUTAGES...HUNDREDS OF WIRES WILL FALL...TRANSFORMERS WILL POP...AND
SOME POWER POLES WILL BE PULLED DOWN. ROTTING LARGE TREES WILL BE
UPROOTED...MOST COMMON ON SATURATED GROUND.  NUMEROUS LARGE BRANCHES
OF HEALTHY TREES WILL SNAP...AND MODERATE DAMAGE IS EXPECTED IN
CITRUS GROVE.  UP TO ONE HALF OF NEWLY PLANTED CROPS WILL BE DAMAGED.

IMPACTS FOR SARASOTA...DESOTO...HIGHLANDS...AND HARDEE COUNTY
INCLUDE:
OLDER MOBILE HOMES WILL EXPERIENCE MODERATE TO SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.
SOME OF POOR CONSTRUCTION WILL BE UNINHABITABLE UNTIL REPAIRED.
HOUSES OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL HAVE DAMAGE TO SHINGLES
...SIDING...AND GUTTERS.  SOME WINDOWS WILL BE BLOWN OUT.  MANY
LANAI SCREENS AND POOL CAGES WILL BE DAMAGED.  UNFASTENED HOME
ITEMS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE WEIGHT WILL BECOME AIRBORNE...CAUSING
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE INJURY.  DOZENS OF WIRES WILL BE
BLOWN DOWN.  LOCAL POWER OUTAGES WILL AFFECT ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS.
MANY LARGE BRANCHES OF HEALTHY TREES WILL BE SNAPPED...AND ROTTING
SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED TREES WILL BE UPROOTED.  DOZENS OF PALM FRONDS
WILL BE BLOWN DOWN...AND MINOR DAMAGE WILL OCCUR TO CITRUS GROVES
AND NEWLY PLANTED LOWLAND CROPS.

IMPACTS FOR THE TAMPA BAY AND LAKELAND AREAS INCLUDE:
MINOR DAMAGE WILL OCCUR TO MANY MOBILE HOMES.  POORLY CONSTRUCTED
HOMES MAY RECEIVE SOME WALL DAMAGE AND PARTIAL ROOF REMOVAL.  A
FEW HOUSES MAY HAVE MINOR DAMAGE TO ROOF SHINGLES AND SIDING.  A
FEW POOL CAGES AND LANAI SCREENS WILL BE DAMAGED.  UNSECURED LIGHT
WEIGHT ITEMS MAY BECOME PROJECTILES...CAUSING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE.
SOME ELECTRICAL WIRES WILL BE BLOWN DOWN...AND LOCAL POWER OUTAGES
ARE LIKELY. MOST NEWLY PLANTED TREES AND SHRUBS WILL BE DAMAGED OR
UPROOTED. SOME ROTTING SMALL TREES WILL BE UPROOTED...AND ROTTEN
LARGE BRANCHES WILL SNAP.  NUMEROUS SMALL TWIGS WILL SEPARATE FROM
TREES. A FEW PALM FRONDS WILL BE BLOWN DOWN.

...SURGE IMPACTS...
TIDES HAVE RETURNED TO ABOUT NORMAL AT GAGING POINTS FROM THE TAMPA
BAY AREA SOUTH. NORTH TO NORTHEASTERLY WINDS HAVE BEGUN TO EVACUATE
WATER FROM COASTAL AREAS.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
OVERNIGHT RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN IN THE 1 TO 3 INCH RANGE WITH
HIGHER LOCALIZED AMOUNTS. BANDS OF RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL
CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING. THESE RAINS MAY
PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY AMOUNTS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA. MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS IS POSSIBLE. RAINFALL
TODAY WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM LESS THAN AN INCH IN LEVY COUNTY TO
2 TO 3 INCHES SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE TAMPA BAY REGION WITH LOCALLY 5
INCHES IN HEAVIER BANDS. SOUTH AND EAST OF THE TAMPA BAY REGION 3 TO
4 INCHES WITH LOCALLY 6 INCHES MAY FALL...AND 4 TO 5 INCHES WITH
LOCALLY 6 INCHES OR MORE IN CHARLOTTE AND LEE COUNTIES...WHERE A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT.

THE LITTLE MANATEE RIVER AND MANATEE RIVERS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE
ABOVE FLOOD STAGE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. OTHER AREA RIVERS REMAIN
ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN BELOW FLOOD STAGE AT THIS TIME.

...NEXT STATEMENT...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FOR HURRICANE WILMA WILL BE ISSUED
FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN RUSKIN AROUND 915 AM EDT
THIS MORNING.

$$

PRC

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