[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS81 KAKQ 151401
HLSAKQ
ANZ632-633-656-658-NCZ015>017-030>032-102-VAZ091-094-095-097-098-
160000-

HURRICANE OPHELIA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
1000 AM EDT THU SEP 15 2005

...OPHELIA WEAKENS SLIGHTLY AS IT CONTINUES TO SKIRT THE NORTH
CAROLINA 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 TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS 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 REMAIN UNDER A HURRICANE
WARNING...BERTIE...CHOWAN...PERQUIMANS...PASQUOTANK...CAMDEN...AND
CURRITUCK.

THE FOLLOWING VIRGINIA COUNTIES AND INDEPENDENT CITIES REMAIN UNDER
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING...

VIRGINIA BEACH...CHESAPEAKE...NORFOLK...PORTSMOUTH...HAMPTON...
POQUOSON...YORK...NEWPORT NEWS.

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

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

...STORM INFORMATION...

AT 9 AM EDT...1300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE OPHELIA WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 34.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE  75.7 WEST OR ABOUT 30 MILES
SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA.

OPHELIA IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST NORTHEAST NEAR 6 MPH AND THIS
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY. WHILE THE CENTER OF OPHELIA IS
EXPECTED TO PARALLEL AND PASS A VERY SHORT DISTANCE OFFSHORE OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS...THE NORTHWEST
EYEWALL IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER THE OUTER BANKS DURING THIS
PERIOD.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR  80 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
OPHELIA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. A
GRADUAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED 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.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 984 MB...29.06 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 FOOT ABOVE NORMAL CAN BE
EXPECTED IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...WITH A 1 TO 2 FOOT SURGE IN
NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA.

THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...
IN NORTH CAROLINA...MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH
MAJOR FLOODING POSSIBLE ALONG THE OUTER BANKS. FOR THE NORTHERN
PORTION OF ALBEMARLE SOUND...THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF CURRITUCK
SOUND...AND THE OUTER BANKS...A SURGE OF 2 TO 3 FEET IS EXPECTED.

IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...MINOR COASTAL FLOODING IS EXPECTED...WITH
MODERATE FLOODING POSSIBLE IN VIRGINIA BEACH AND ALONG THE NANSEMOND
RIVER...WHERE A  1 TO 3 FOOT SURGE IS EXPECTED. ALONG THE SOUTHERN
SHORE OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY...INCLUDING
NORFOLK...HAMPTON...PORTSMOUTH...AND POQUOSON...A SURGE OF 1 TO 2
FEET IS EXPECTED.

TIMES OF HIGH TIDE...AND FORECASTED WATER LEVELS REFERENCED TO
MEAN LOWER LOW WATER...FOR SOME LOCATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS...

SEWELLS POINT...
THIS EVENING AT 748 PM...4.5 TO 5.5 FEET...

VIRGINIA BEACH...
THIS EVENING AT 624 PM...5.5 TO 6.0 FEET...

SOUTHERN CURRITUCK...
THIS AFTERNOON AT 556 PM...6.0 TO 7.0 FEET...

...WIND IMPACTS...

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 50 TO 60
MPH WILL CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA LATE THIS
MORNING...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 DURING THE MID
MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS FOR LOCATIONS IN THE NORTHERN
OUTER BANKS DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE COASTAL WATERS. SCATTERED
POWER OUTAGES ARE EXPECTED DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS.

SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO
OVERSPREAD EXTREME SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA LATE THIS MORNING
HOURS...WITH THE HIGHEST WINDS AND GUSTS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR THE
MOUTH OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY...AND POTENTIALLY OVER PARTS OF NORFOLK
AND VIRGINIA BEACH. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE
STRONG WINDS.

...FLOODING IMPACTS...

THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM THIS MORNING THROUGH
THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS IN NORTH CAROLINA...AND BETWEEN NOON AND THE
LATE AFTERNOON HOURS IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA. COASTAL SECTIONS AND
COUNTIES BORDERING THE ALBEMARLE SOUND COULD SEE WIDESPREAD 2 TO 4
INCHES OF TOTAL RAINFALL...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THIS
RAINFALL COULD PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING. RAINFALL OF 1 TO 3
INCHES WILL BE 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 THIS MORNING...AND WILL
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 10 AM EDT. STAY TUNED TO UPDATES ON
HURRICANE OPHELIA FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER...LOCAL
MEDIA...AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT WAKEFIELD.

$$

25/32





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