[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS81 KAKQ 150756 AAB
HLSAKQ
ANZ632-633-656-658-NCZ013>017-030>032-102-VAZ091-094>098-160000-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
400 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 NEAR
CAPE LOOKOUT TO THE SOUTHERN OUTER BANKS...

...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 3 AM EDT...0700Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE OPHELIA WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 34.6 NORTH... LONGITUDE 76.3 WEST OR ABOUT 15 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CAPE LOOKOUT NORTH CAROLINA AND ABOUT 65 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA.

OPHELIA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 6 MPH...AND A SLOW
MOTION TO THE 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 982 MB...29.00 INCHES.


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

THIS MORNING...MINOR COASTAL FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE
SOUTHERN CHESAPEAKE BAY IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...AND ALONG THE
NORTHERN OUTER BANKS...AND NORTHERN ALBEMARLE SOUND IN NORTHEAST
NORTH CAROLINA. A GENERAL STORM SURGE OF 1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL
CAN BE EXPECTED FOR THESE AREAS.

THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...
IN NORTH CAROLINA...MODERATE FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH
ISOLATED AREAS OF MAJOR FLOODING POSSIBLE...MAINLY ALONG THE
NORTHERN PORTION OF ALBEMARLE SOUND IN BERTIE COUNTY AND THE
SOUTHERN PORTION OF CURRITUCK SOUND AND THE OUTER BANKS...WHERE A
SURGE OF 2 TO 4 FEET WILL BE POSSIBLE. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE
NORTH SHORE OF THE ALBEMARLE SOUND...FROM CHOWAN COUNTY EASTWARD TO
INLAND CURRITUCK COUNTY...A SURGE OF 2 TO 3 FEET WILL BE POSSIBLE.

IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING IS EXPECTED ALONG
THE SOUTHERN SHORE OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY...INCLUDING
NORFOLK...HAMPTON...PORTSMOUTH...AND POQUOSON...WHERE A 1 TO 3 FOOT
SURGE WILL BE POSSIBLE. ISOLATED AREAS OF MAJOR FLOODING WILL BE
POSSIBLE ALONG THE NANSEMOND RIVER IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...WITH A 2
TO 4 FOOT SURGE.

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...

...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...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 SUNRISE. 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 THIS
MORNING THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS IN NORTH CAROLINA...AND
BETWEEN 8 AM THIS 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 TODAY. 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 8 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 6 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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