[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTBW 191733 CCA
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-192130-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1115 AM EDT MON SEP 19 2005

CORRECTED TO INCLUDE DE SOTO COUNTY IN TROPICAL STORM WATCH

...TROPICAL STORM RITA FORECAST TO STRIKE THE FLORIDA KEYS AS A
HURRICANE...
...TROPICAL STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH IN LEE
COUNTY NORTHWARD TO ENGLEWOOD IN SARASOTA COUNTY...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR PEOPLE IN CHARLOTTE...DE SOTO...AND LEE
COUNTIES.

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR BONITA BEACH NORTH TO
ENGLEWOOD.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 11 AM EDT... THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 23.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 75.2 WEST OR ABOUT 480 MILES
EAST SOUTHEAST OF FORT MYERS.  THIS IS ALSO ABOUT 570 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF THE TAMPA BAY REGION.

...WIND IMPACTS...
PEAK SUSTAINED WINDS WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON HOW FAR NORTH RITA
MOVES AS SHE PASSES OVER THE FLORIDA STRAITS. SUSTAINED NORTHEAST
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH BEGINNING LATE TUESDAY
AFTERNOON. THESE WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE EAST EARLY WEDNESDAY
MORNING. PEAK GUSTS OF 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN STRONGER FEEDER BANDS
THAT ROTATE ACROSS THE SOUTH FLORIDA PENINSULA BEGINNING TUESDAY
NIGHT.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
THE CURRENT FORECAST MOVEMENT OF RITA WILL BRING OCCASIONAL BANDS
OF TORRENTIAL RAIN STARTING TUESDAY AFTERNOON...AND BECOMING MOST
FREQUENT EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AS THE CENTER PASSES BY TO OUR
SOUTH.

STORM TOTALS WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER
AMOUNTS WHERE PERSISTENT BANDS DEVELOP. ALL RIVERS IN SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA HAVE COME DOWN WELL BELOW FLOOD LEVELS THAT OCCURRED BACK IN
JUNE AND RIVER FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

...MARINE IMPACTS...
AS RITA MOVES INTO THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO LATE TUESDAY NIGHT...
WINDS AND SEAS WILL INCREASE GREATLY OVER THE EAST CENTRAL GULF
MAKING CONDITIONS HAZARDOUS LATE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MARINERS
SHOULD POSTPONE TRAVEL UNTIL AFTER RITA MOVES FURTHER AWAY FROM OUR
AREA. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD PLAN TO REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL CONDITIONS
IMPROVE.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
THE PRIMARY AREA FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT IN TROPICAL SYSTEMS IS THE
RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT OF THE STORM. AS RITA MOVES WESTWARD OVER THE
EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO...THAT PART OF THE STORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA THEREFORE INCREASING THE TORNADO THREAT FOR THE AREA. STAY
TUNED FOR POSSIBLE TORNADO WATCHES AND WARNINGS...ESPECIALLY TUESDAY
NIGHT.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
RITA IS EXPECTED TO STAY FAR ENOUGH SOUTH TO PREVENT ANY STORM SURGE
IMPACTS FROM AFFECTING SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. WINDS SHOULD CONTINUE
OFFSHORE UNLESS THE SYSTEM MOVES A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH FROM THE
CURRENT FORECAST TRACK. IN THAT CASE...WE MAY HAVE A WATER LEVEL RISE
SIMILAR TO WHAT WAS SEEN ACROSS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AS HURRICANE
KATRINA PASSED BY TO THE WEST...WITH MAXIMUM READINGS OF 1 TO 2 FEET
ABOVE NORMAL TIDES.

...NEXT STATEMENT...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN RUSKIN WILL BE ISSUED BETWEEN 5 AND 530 PM TODAY.

$$

RJS

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