[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS81 KAKQ 141856 CCA
HLSAKQ
ANZ632-633-656-658-NCZ013>017-030>032-102-VAZ091-094>098-152000-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
300 PM EDT WED SEP 14 2005

...OPHELIA CONTINUING TO STRENGTHEN AS IT MOVES CLOSER TO THE
NORTH CAROLINA COAST...

...A HURRICANE WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE COASTAL WATERS NORTH OF
CURRITUCK BEACH LIGHT...THE CURRITUCK SOUND AND FOR CURRITUCK COUNTY
AND COUNTIES ADJACENT TO THE NORTHERN ALBEMARLE SOUND...

...A HURRICANE WATCH AND A TROPICAL STORM WARNING ARE IN EFFECT
NORTH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA/VIRGINIA BORDER TO CAPE CHARLES LIGHT
VIRGINIA...INCLUDING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY SOUTH OF NEW POINT COMFORT...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR THE RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA AND
NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA...IN COUNTIES ADJACENT TO THE ATLANTIC
COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHERN CHESAPEAKE BAY...AND CURRITUCK SOUND.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
THE FOLLOWING NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES ARE UNDER A HURRICANE WARNING...
BERTIE...CHOWAN...PERQUIMANS...PASQUOTANK...CAMDEN...AND
CURRITUCK.

THE FOLLOWING VIRGINIA COUNTIES AND INDEPENDENT CITIES ARE UNDER A
TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND HURRICANE WATCH...
VIRGINIA BEACH...CHESAPEAKE...NORFOLK...PORTSMOUTH...HAMPTON...POQUOSON...
YORK...NEWPORT NEWS.

THE FOLLOWING INDEPENDENT CITY IS UNDER A TROPICAL STORM WARNING...
SUFFOLK.

THE FOLLOWING NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES ARE UNDER AN INLAND
TROPICAL STORM WARNING...
HERTFORD...GATES.

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN
THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN
THE WATCH AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 36 HR.

TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED IN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

...STORM INFORMATION...

AT 2 PM EDT...1800Z...THE CENTER OF THE LARGE EYE OF HURRICANE
OPHELIA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 33.9 NORTH... LONGITUDE 77.4 WEST
OR ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA AND ABOUT
70 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CAPE LOOKOUT NORTH CAROLINA.

OPHELIA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 7 MPH...AND THIS
GENERAL MOTION IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE TODAY. A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD
THE NORTHEAST AT A SLIGHTLY FASTER FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED TO
OCCUR BY TONIGHT. ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER OF OPHELIA IS FORECAST
TO MAKE LANDFALL ON THURSDAY ALONG THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF NORTH
CAROLINA NEAR CAPE LOOKOUT. HOWEVER...THE NORTHERN EYEWALL WILL
CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT... AND OVER THE OUTER BANKS TONIGHT AND THURSDAY.

DATA FROM AN NOAA RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT AND NOAA LAND-BASED
DOPPLER RADARS INDICATE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 85 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. OPHELIA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME SLIGHT STRENGTHENING IS STILL POSSIBLE
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS BEFORE LANDFALL OCCURS.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...

MINOR TO MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE
SOUTHERN CHESAPEAKE BAY...AND ALONG THE NORTHERN OUTER
BANKS...TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. SOME TIMES OF HIGH TIDE...AND
FORECASTED WATER LEVELS REFERENCED TO MEAN LOWER LOW WATER...
FOR SOME LOCATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS...

SEWELLS POINT...TODAY 649 PM...5.2 FEET...THURSDAY 712
AM...4.7 FEET...THURSDAY 5.2 FEET.

VIRGINIA BEACH...TODAY 525 PM...6.2 FEET...THURSDAY 553
AM...5.7 FEET.

SOUTHERN CURRITUCK...TODAY 457 PM...6.0 FEET...THURSDAY
524 AM...5.4 FEET.

A SURGE OF 1 TO 3 FEET IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE NORTH SHORE OF THE
ALBEMARLE SOUND TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE GREATEST SURGE POTENTIAL
WILL BE OVER THE WESTERN PART OF THE ALBEMARLE SOUND...ALONG THE
SOUTHEAST SHORE OF BERTIE AND SOUTHERN SHORE OF CHOWAN
COUNTIES...WHERE 3 TO 5 FEET IS POSSIBLE.

...WIND IMPACTS...

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 TO 65
MPH WILL LIKELY OVERSPREAD NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA FROM THIS
EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT...FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST...WITH THE
HIGHEST WINDS AND WIND GUSTS ACROSS THE OUTER BANKS...AND ALONG
THE ALBEMARLE SOUND. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HIGHER GUSTS TO
HURRICANE FORCE...ESPECIALLY FOR LOCATIONS NEAR THE ALBEMARLE AND
CURRITUCK SOUNDS...THE NORTHERN OUTER BANKS AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL
WATERS. POWER OUTAGES ARE EXPECTED DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS TO 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 TO 55
MPH ARE EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD EXTREME SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA TONIGHT.
THE HIGHEST WINDS AND WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR THE MOUTH
OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY...AND POTENTIALLY OVER PARTS OF NORFOLK AND
VIRGINIA BEACH. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ARE EXPECTED DUE TO THE
STRONG WINDS.

...FLOODING IMPACTS...

THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY
MORNING. COASTAL SECTIONS AND COUNTIES BORDERING THE ALBEMARLE
SOUND COULD SEE WIDESPREAD 3 TO 6 INCHES OF TOTAL RAINFALL...WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THIS RAINFALL COULD PRODUCE LOCALIZED
FLOODING. RAINFALL OF 2 TO 4 INCHES IS POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...

ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF
NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

...RIP CURRENT IMPACTS...

HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY AND THURSDAY. A HIGH RISK OF RIP
CURRENTS MEANS WIND AND OR WAVE CONDITIONS SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT
OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS. RIP CURRENTS ARE LIFE THREATENING TO
ANYONE WHO ENTERS THE SURF.

...HIGH SURF/BEACH EROSION IMPACTS...

NEARSHORE WAVES WILL BUILD TO 9 FEET LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND NEAR
10 FEET TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY. THIS HIGH SURF WILL LIKELY CAUSE
MINOR TO POSSIBLY MODERATE BEACH EROSION.

...NEXT UPDATE...

THE NEXT UPDATE WILL FOLLOW BY 600 PM. STAY TUNED TO UPDATES ON
HURRICANE OPHELIA FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER...LOCAL
MEDIA...AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT WAKEFIELD.

$$

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