[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTBW 241541
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-241830-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1130 AM EDT MON OCT 24 2005

...WILMA MOVING NORTHEAST OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF FLORIDA...

...NEW INFORMATION...
HURRICANE WILMA REMAINS A CATEGORY 2 STORM...BUT IS MOVING OFF THE
SOUTHEAST COAST OF FLORIDA. CONDITIONS ARE RAPIDLY IMPROVING ACROSS
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...AND ALL TROPICAL STORM AND
HURRICANE ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY BE DISCONTINUED THIS AFTERNOON.

ALL TORNADO WATCHES HAVE HAVE BEEN CANCELLED OR HAVE EXPIRED.

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

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

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

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

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS 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.

RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE LITTLE MANATEE RIVER AT
WIMAUMA...THE MANATEE RIVER AT MYAKKA HEAD...THE PEACE RIVER AT
ARCADIA...AND THE HORSE CREEK NEAR ARCADIA.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 11 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 26.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 80.0 WEST OR ABOUT 115 MILES EAST OF
FORT MYERS AND 175 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TAMPA. WILMA WAS MOVING TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

...WIND IMPACTS...
THE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY
AFTERNOON.

DANGEROUS WINDS ARE STILL POSSIBLE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF
THIS MORNING IN LEE AND CHARLOTTE COUNTIES...AND POSSIBLY DESOTO AND
HIGHLANDS COUNTIES. A PERIOD OF 30 TO 40 MPH WINDS WITH GUSTS TO
55 MPH IS EXPECTED THROUGH 1 PM. WINDS WILL DECREASE FROM WEST TO
EAST THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON.

FOR SARASOTA...MANATEE...AND HARDEE COUNTIES...SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25
TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE ARE STILL POSSIBLE
THROUGH 1 PM.

IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA AND POINTS NORTH THROUGH HERNANDO COUNTY...
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY
AFTERNOON. GUSTS TO 40 MPH...OR LOW END TROPICAL STORM FORCE...ARE
STILL POSSIBLE.

IMPACTS FOR CHARLOTTE AND LEE...AND HIGHLANDS COUNTY INCLUDE:
THE MOST SEVERE DAMAGE HAS ALREADY OCCURRED...WITH MOSTLY MINOR
DAMAGE STILL POSSIBLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE STRONGER WIND GUSTS.
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 GROVES.  UP TO ONE HALF OF
NEWLY PLANTED CROPS WILL BE DAMAGED.

FOR THE REMAINDER OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA...INCLUDING THE SARASOTA
AND TAMPA BAY AREA...THE IMPACTS INCLUDE:
MOST OF THE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING WINDS ARE OVER. HOWEVER MINOR DAMAGE
IS STILL POSSIBLE WITH THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS.
UNFASTENED HOME ITEMS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE WEIGHT WILL BECOME
AIRBORNE...CAUSING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE INJURY.  LOCAL
POWER OUTAGES WILL AFFECT ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS. DOZENS OF PALM FRONDS
WILL BE BLOWN DOWN...AND MINOR DAMAGE WILL OCCUR TO CITRUS GROVES AND
NEWLY PLANTED LOWLAND CROPS.

...SURGE IMPACTS...
TIDES HAVE RETURNED TO NORMAL AT MOST GAGING POINTS ALONG THE
SUNCOAST. HOWEVER...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE
WILMA MAY STILL RESULT IN RENEWED TIDE LEVEL INCREASES. IN
PARTICULAR...PINE ISLAND SOUND MAY SEE TIDE LEVELS UP TO 2 FEET
ABOVE NORMAL. HOWEVER...THESE ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ARE
EXPECTED AROUND THE TIME OF LOW TIDE...THUS MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING IS
NOT EXPECTED.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
OVERNIGHT RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN IN THE 3 TO 6 INCH RANGE ACROSS
MOST OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...WITH LOCALIZED HIGHER
AMOUNTS. THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS HAVE OCCURRED ACROSS SARASOTA...DE
SOTO...HIGHLANDS...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES. THE RAIN IS RAPIDLY
ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST AS WILMA IS MOVING OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST
OF FLORIDA. HOWEVER...AN ADDITIONAL 1 INCH OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE
ACROSS THE INTERIOR FLORIDA PENINSULA...SUCH AS POLK AND HIGHLANDS
COUNTIES. THE RAIN WILL END ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA THIS AFTERNOON.

...NEXT STATEMENT...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FOR HURRICANE WILMA WILL BE ISSUED
FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN RUSKIN AROUND 2 PM EDT
THIS AFTERNOON.

$$

NP

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