[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS81 KAKQ 150655 AAA
HLSAKQ
ANZ632-633-656-658-NCZ013>017-030>032-102-VAZ091-094>098-160000-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
200 AM EDT THU SEP 15 2005

...HURRICANE FORCE WINDS IN THE NORTHERN EYEWALL OF OPHELIA CONTINUE
TO AFFECT THE COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA FROM CAPE
LOOKOUT TO NEAR CAPE HATTERAS...

...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.

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 HOURS.

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

...STORM INFORMATION...

AT APPROXIMATELY 2 AM EDT...OR 0600Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE
OPHELIA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 34.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 76.3
WEST...OR ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CAPE LOOKOUT NORTH CAROLINA.

OPHELIA IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST-NORTHEAST NEAR 7 MPH...AND A SLOW
MOTION TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST OR NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT
24 HOURS.  WHILE THE CENTER OF OPHELIA IS EXPECTED TO PARALLEL AND
PASS A VERY SHORT DISTANCE OFFSHORE THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS
OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...THE NORTHWEST EYEWALL IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN
OVER THE OUTER BANKS DURING THIS PERIOD.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...PRIMARILY LOCATED OFFSHORE IN THE
SOUTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE EYEWALL...ARE NEAR 85 MPH...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. OPHELIA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE...AND IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE DURING
THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO  40 MILES FROM THE
CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 140 MILES.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE
AIRCRAFT WAS 981 MB...28.97 INCHES.

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

THIS MORNING...MINOR COASTAL FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE
SOUTHERN CHESAPEAKE BAY...AND ALONG THE NORTHERN OUTER BANKS...AND
NORTHERN ALBEMARLE SOUND. BY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MODERATE
FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH ISOLATED AREAS OF MAJOR FLOODING
POSSIBLE IN A FEW SPOTS. SOME TIMES OF HIGH TIDE...AND FORECASTED
WATER LEVELS REFERENCED TO MEAN LOWER LOW WATER...FOR SOME LOCATIONS
ARE AS FOLLOWS...

SEWELLS POINT...
THURSDAY 712 AM...4.0 TO 4.5 FEET...THURSDAY 748 PM...5.0 TO 6.0
FEET.

VIRGINIA BEACH...
THURSDAY 553 AM...5.0 TO 5.5 FEET...THURSDAY 624 PM...6.5 TO 7.5
FEET.

SOUTHERN CURRITUCK...
THURSDAY 524 AM...5.0 TO 5.5 FEET...THURSDAY 556 PM...7.0 TO 8.0
FEET.

IN NORTH CAROLINA ALONG THE NORTHERN PORTION OF ALBEMARLE
SOUND...THE GREATEST SURGE OF 2 TO 4 FEET WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS
THE SOUTHERN SHORE OF BERTIE COUNTY...WITH A SURGE OF 2 TO 3 FEET
EXPECTED ALONG THE REMAINDER OF THE NORTH SHORE OF THE ALBEMARLE
SOUND...FROM CHOWAN COUNTY EASTWARD TO INLAND CURRITUCK COUNTY ON
THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF CURRITUCK SOUND. THE TIME OF THESE SURGES

IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...THE GREATEST SURGE POTENTIAL WILL BE OVER
THE NANSEMOND RIVER WHERE A 2 TO 4 FOOT SURGE IS POSSIBLE. FOR THE
SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY...INCLUDING
NORFOLK...HAMPTON...PORTSMOUTH...AND POQUOSON A SURGE OF 1 TO 3 FEET
WILL BE POSSIBLE.

...WIND IMPACTS...

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS 50 TO 60 MPH
WILL LIKELY OVERSPREAD NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AFTER 5 AM...FROM
SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST...WITH THE HIGHEST WINDS AND WIND GUSTS
OCCURRING ACROSS THE OUTER BANKS...AND ALONG THE ALBEMARLE SOUND.
THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A FEW ISOLATED GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE
AFTER SUNRISE...ESPECIALLY FOR LOCATIONS ALONG THE NORTHERN OUTER
BANKS AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ARE
EXPECTED DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS.

SUSTAINED WINDS TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO
OVERSPREAD EXTREME SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA AFTER 6 AM EDT. 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 TO OCCUR FROM 6 AM THURSDAY
MORNING THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS IN NORTH CAROLINA...AND
BETWEEN 8 AM THURSDAY MORNING AND THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS IN
SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA. COASTAL SECTIONS AND COUNTIES BORDERING THE
ALBEMARLE SOUND COULD SEE WIDESPREAD 3 TO 4 INCHES OF TOTAL
RAINFALL...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THIS RAINFALL COULD PRODUCE
LOCALIZED FLOODING. RAINFALL OF 1 TO 3 INCHES IS POSSIBLE OVER
PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA.

...RIP CURRENT IMPACTS...

HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS OVERNIGHT 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 7 TO 10 FEET AFTER SUNRISE...AND
CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THIS HIGH SURF WILL LIKELY CAUSE
MINOR TO POSSIBLY MODERATE BEACH EROSION.

...NEXT UPDATE...

THE NEXT UPDATE WILL FOLLOW BY 4 AM EDT. STAY TUNED TO UPDATES ON
HURRICANE OPHELIA FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER...LOCAL
MEDIA...AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT WAKEFIELD.

$$

BROWN





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