[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS81 KAKQ 151802 CCA
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
200 PM EDT THU SEP 15 2005

...OPHELIA STALLS JUST OFFSHORE 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 2 PM EDT...1800Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE OPHELIA WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 34.7 NORTH... LONGITUDE 75.7 WEST OR ABOUT 35 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA AND ABOUT 55 MILES
EAST-NORTHEAST OF CAPE LOOKOUT NORTH CAROLINA.

OPHELIA HAS BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY. HOWEVER...A SLOW DRIFT TO THE
EAST OR EAST NORTHEAST NEAR IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATER THIS
AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. STEERING CURRENTS REMAIN WEAK...SO SOME
ERRATIC MOTION IS POSSIBLE. WHILE THE CENTER OF OPHELIA IS FORECAST
TO REMAIN JUST OFFSHORE THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS... THE
NORTHERN EYEWALL IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER THE OUTER BANKS DURING
THE NEXT 12 TO POSSIBLY 24 HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 80 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. OPHELIA
IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. LITTLE
CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST 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 986 MB...29.12 INCHES.

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

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 1 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 2 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 5.0 FEET...

VIRGINIA BEACH...
THIS EVENING AT 624 PM...5.5 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 THIS
AFTERNOON...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 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 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO
OVERSPREAD EXTREME SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA THIS AFTERNOON...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...

COASTAL SECTIONS AND COUNTIES BORDERING THE ALBEMARLE SOUND COULD
SEE WIDESPREAD 1 TO 4 INCHES OF TOTAL RAINFALL...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER
AMOUNTS. THIS RAINFALL COULD PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING. RAINFALL OF
1 TO 2 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 BE 6 TO 9 FEET THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THIS
HIGH SURF WILL LIKELY CAUSE MINOR TO POSSIBLY MODERATE BEACH EROSION.

...NEXT UPDATE...

THE NEXT UPDATE WILL FOLLOW BY 5 PM EDT. 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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