[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMFL 182130
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-190330-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
530 PM EDT SUN SEP 18 2005

...TROPICAL STORM RITA FORMS...
...WATCHES ISSUED FOR SOUTH FLORIDA MAINLAND...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR PERSONS IN MIAMI-DADE...
MAINLAND MONROE...BROWARD...COLLIER...PALM BEACH...HENDRY...AND
GLADES COUNTIES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
AT 5 PM EDT...A TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST FROM DEERFIELD BEACH IN BROWARD COUNTY
SOUTH THROUGH FLORIDA CITY IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY THEN WEST THROUGH
EAST CAPE SABLE ON THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COAST. AN INLAND TROPICAL
STORM WATCH HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FOR INLAND SECTIONS MIAMI-DADE AND
MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES. WARNINGS AND ADDITIONAL WATCHES MAY BE
NECESSARY ON MONDAY.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 22.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 72.7 WEST OR ABOUT 540 MILES EAST
SOUTHEAST OF MIAMI. RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 10 MPH. A
WEST TO NORTHWEST MOTION IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME
STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS..

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...
INCLUDING WINDS OF 39 TO 73 MPH...ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 36
HOURS. PERSONS ARE URGED TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF RITA AND LISTEN
TO ADVICE FROM LOCAL OFFICIALS.

BOAT OWNERS IN THE AREA SHOULD BEGIN PREPARATIONS TO SECURE THEIR
CRAFT OR MOVE IT TO A SAFE HARBOR. OTHER PERSONS IN METROPOLITAN
MIAMI-DADE AND BROWARD COUNTIES AND IN MAINLAND MONROE COUNTY SHOULD
BEGIN MAKING PREPARATIONS FOR STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
GIVEN THE LATEST FORECAST TRACK A MAXIMUM STORM TIDE...WHICH
INCLUDES THE STORM SURGE AND A HIGH ASTRONOMICAL TIDE...WILL BE 2
TO 4 FEET.  THIS CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE
CENTER PASSES. ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK THE HIGHEST STORM SURGE
ON THE SOUTH FLORIDA MAINLAND WILL MOST LIKELY AFFECT SOUTHERN
PORTIONS OF BISCAYNE BAY BUT COULD EXTEND NORTH THROUGHOUT BISCAYNE
BAY...INCLUDING DOWNTOWN MIAMI...AND ALONG THE BARRIER ISLANDS FROM
KEY BISCAYNE TO MIAMI BEACH.

...WIND IMPACTS...
 WINDS GUSTING TO MINIMAL TROPICAL STORM FORCE...39 TO 50 MPH...WILL
MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA MAINLAND MAINLY...PARTICULARLY OVER
SOUTH MIAMI-DADE COUNTY...AFTER MIDNIGHT MONDAY NIGHT. THE STRONGEST
WINDS OF 50 TO 73 MPH WILL LIKELY OCCUR ON TUESDAY MORNING...MAINLY
OVER SOUTH MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES.

...PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE/TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...
THE PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS RANGE FROM 44 PERCENT
IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TO ABOUT 35 PERCENT IN BROWARD COUNTY AND 28
PERCENT IN PALM BEACH COUNTY. THE PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE FORCE
WINDS ARE NEAR THREE PERCENT IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY BUT LESS THAN 2
PERCENT IN BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE OVER THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS OFF
THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST ON MONDAY REACHING MINIMAL TROPICAL STORM
FORCE OF 39 TO 50 MPH MONDAY EVENING. WINDS WILL LIKELY INCREASE TO
SPEEDS OF 50 TO 73 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS MONDAY NIGHT AND EARLY
TUESDAY. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD NOT VENTURE FAR FROM PORT.

SURF ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA OCEAN BEACHES WILL BECOME
INCREASINGLY ROUGH ON MONDAY AND BECOME VERY ROUGH ON MONDAY NIGHT
AND TUESDAY. DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ARE POSSIBLE FROM MONDAY
AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY AND PERSONS ARE URGED TO SWIM AT GUARDED
BEACHES.

...LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS...
A FLOOD OUTLOOK HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF SOUTH FLORIDA. RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE
IN MIAMI-DADE AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES.  RAINFALL FARTHER NORTH
FROM BROWARD TO COLLIER COUNTY WILL LIKELY RANGE FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES
WITH AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE IN PALM BEACH...HENDRY AND GLADES
COUNTIES. A FLOOD WATCH MAY BE ISSUED EARLY MONDAY FOR PORTIONS OF
THE SOUTH FLORIDA MAINLAND.

...LOCAL TORNADO IMPACTS...
THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TORNADOES IN THE OUTER RAINBANDS OF
RITA. THESE MIGHT OCCUR BEGINNING LATE MONDAY AND CONTINUING MONDAY
NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1130 PM TONIGHT. FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE MIAMI WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE
WEB SITE AT WWW.MIAMIWEATHER.INFO OR EN ESPANOL AT
WWW.ELTIEMPOENMIAMI.INFO.

$$

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