[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KJAX 241512
HLSJAX
FLZ024-025-033-038-242200-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
1111 AM EDT MON OCT 24 2005

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR FLAGLER AND ST JOHNS
COUNTIES...
...TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS DISCONTINUED NORTH OF ST. AUGUSTINE...
...A WIND ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR CLAY...DUVAL...MARION...NASSAU
AND PUTNAM COUNTIES...
...A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR PORTIONS 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 FLOOD
WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR FLAGLER...PUTNAM...ST.
JOHNS AND MARION COUNTIES.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 11 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 25 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...
THE COMBINATION OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE PLAINS STATES AND THE LARGE
WIND FIELD AROUND WILMA WILL PRODUCE OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO TROPICAL
STORM FORCE OVER THE NORTHEAST FLORIDA COASTAL WATERS AND ALONG THE
IMMEDIATE COAST FROM ST. AUGUSTINE SOUTHWARD THIS AFTERNOON.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE OVER THE GEORGIA WATERS
FROM ALTAMAHA SOUND SOUTHWARD TO FERNANDINA BEACH AND BEYOND 20
NAUTICAL MILES. RESIDENTS IN THE FLOOD WATCH AREA SHOULD ALSO BE ON
THE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOODING THIS AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL
BEGIN TO IMPROVE ACROSS ALL OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA TONIGHT.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
ROUGH SURF CONDITIONS AND AN INCREASED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WILL
CONTINUE 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.
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 WILL OCCUR 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. 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 HIGHER GUSTS. 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...
WHILE THE TORNADO THREAT WILL LIKELY BE SOUTH OF THE AREA...
RESIDENTS OF FLAGLER...MARION AND PUTNAM COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT
UNTIL WILMAS BANDS EXIT THE AREA THIS EVENING.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THIS NEXT HURRICANE WILMA LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN JACKSONVILLE WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 6 PM EDT...OR
EARLIER SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.

$$

LETRO

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