[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KEYW 191821
HLSEYW
FLZ076-077-078-GMZ031-032-033-052-053-054-072-073-074-075-192130-

TROPICAL STORM RITA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
225 PM EDT MON SEP 19 2005

...LOCAL EFFECTS OF RITA IN THE FLORIDA KEYS WILL MOST LIKELY BE
WORSE THAN THOSE OF HURRICANE GEORGES IN 1998...
...A MANDATORY EVACUATION IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE LOWER AND
MIDDLE KEYS FROM CRAIG KEY TO KEY WEST...
...A MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR ALL OF THE UPPER KEYS FROM CRAIG KEY
TO KEY LARGO IS TO COMMENCE AT 300 PM THIS AFTERNOON...
...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS...
...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS...

...NEW INFORMATION SINCE LAST ISSUANCE...
WATCHES AND WARNINGS UPDATED.
STORM INFORMATION UPDATED.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS UPDATED.
STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS UPDATED.
WIND IMPACTS UPDATED.
MARINE IMPACTS UPDATED.
RAINFALL IMPACTS UPDATED.

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS SPECIFIC TO THE FLORIDA KEYS OF MONROE COUNTY
INCLUDING THE DRY TORTUGAS.

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE FLORIDA KEYS AND
ADJOINING WATERS...FROM OCEAN REEF TO THE DRY TORTUGAS...INCLUDING
FLORIDA BAY. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS...
WINDS OF 74 MPH OR GREATER AND STORM SURGE FLOODING...ARE EXPECTED
WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE
FLORIDA KEYS FOR LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT
CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY RAINS AND POSSIBLE FLOODING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 200 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 23.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 75.9 WEST...OR ABOUT 340 MILES
EAST-SOUTHEAST OF MARATHON...AND ABOUT 380 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF
KEY WEST. TROPICAL STORM RITA WAS MOVING WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH.
THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND
TROPICAL STORM RITA COULD BECOME A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE LATE THIS
AFTERNOON. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE WAS 993 MB...OR 29.32 INCHES
OF MERCURY.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A MANDATORY EVACUATION IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE LOWER AND MIDDLE
KEYS FROM CRAIG KEY KEY WEST. A MANDATORY EVACUATION OF THE UPPER
KEYS FROM CRAIG KEY TO KEY LARGO WILL COMMENCE AT 300 PM THIS
AFTERNOON. THE GOLDEN PANTHER ARENA AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
UNIVERSITY WILL BE USED AS A STAGING AREA FOR GENERAL POPULATION
ONLY...THIS WILL TRANSITION TO THE CHARLES E. PERRY BUILDING LATER
THIS AFTERNOON. THE MONROE COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER HAS
BEEN FULLY ACTIVATED. ALL INTERESTS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS SHOULD RUSH
HURRICANE PREPARATIONS TO COMPLETION. INSTALL HURRICANE SHUTTERS
NOW...AND SECURE LOOSE OBJECTS WHICH MAY BECOME DANGEROUS
PROJECTILES. POWER WILL BE OUT FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME...
POSSIBLY A WEEK OR MORE IN SOME PLACES. AT LEAST THREE DAYS OF FOOD
AND WATER SHOULD BE OBTAINED. CITY OFFICES...COUNTY PARKS...AND
STATE PARKS ARE CLOSED. COUNTY OFFICES ARE CLOSED. HOSPITALS IN THE
KEYS WILL BE CLOSING TODAY. MONROE COUNTY SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TODAY
AND TUESDAY. TOLLS ON CARD SOUND ROAD ARE SUSPENDED. KEY WEST
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND MARATHON AIRPORT WILL CLOSE AT 600 PM
MONDAY. GREYHOUND REPORTS EXCELLENT AVAILABILITY OF SEATS ON SERVICE
OUT OF KEY WEST AND THE REMAINING KEYS. CONTACT THE KEYS SHUTTLE AT
1-800-410-KEYS. THE MONROE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
HOTLINE IS AVAILABLE AT 1-800-955-5504.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
A STORM SURGE OF 6 TO 9 FEET IS EXPECTED TUESDAY. THIS WILL INUNDATE
MOST ROADS AND LARGE SECTIONS OF THE OVERSEAS HIGHWAY. A STORM SURGE
OF THIS MAGNITUDE HAS THE ABILITY TO SCOUR THE APPROACHES TO BRIDGES
ON THE OVERSEAS HIGHWAY. THIS MAY LEAVE PORTIONS OF THE OVERSEAS
HIGHWAY IMPASSABLE. ASTRONOMICAL TIDES HAVE BEEN ABOUT 1 FOOT ABOVE
NORMAL IN RECENT DAYS DUE TO THE FULL MOON. THEREFORE...A STORM TIDE
OF 7 TO 10 FEET IS POSSIBLE SHOULD STORM PASSAGE COINCIDE WITH THE
TIME OF HIGH TIDE. HIGH TIDES AT WHALE HARBOR CHANNEL ARE AT 1045 PM
TODAY...AND TUESDAY AT 1118 AM AND 1129 PM. HIGH TIDES AT KEY WEST
HARBOR ARE AT 1134 PM TODAY...AND AT 230 PM ON TUESDAY...AND FINALLY
1208 AM EARLY WEDNESDAY. REMEMBER...THE TOTAL STORM TIDE EQUALS THE
STORM SURGE PLUS THE ASTRONOMICAL TIDE.

...WIND IMPACTS...
RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA KEYS CAN EXPECT ROOF AND MODERATE
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES. MOBILE HOMES ARE NOT
SAFE. MANY WILL BE DAMAGED...HUNDREDS MAY BE DESTROYED. LARGE TREES
AND POWER POLES WILL BE TOPPLED. SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS OF 39 TO 73 MPH WILL BEGIN EARLY TUESDAY MORNING OVER THE
UPPER KEYS...AND BY TUESDAY MID MORNING OVER THE MIDDLE AND LOWER
KEYS. CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE FORCE WINDS OF 96 TO 110 MPH ARE A
DISTINCT POSSIBILITY...ESPECIALLY IN THE LOWER KEYS...TUESDAY
AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY NIGHT.

...MARINE IMPACTS...
JEWFISH CREEK AND SNAKE CREEK BRIDGES ARE LOCKED IN THE DOWN
POSITION. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE IS LIKELY TO PIERS TUESDAY AFTERNOON
AND TUESDAY NIGHT. MARINAS WILL BE FLOODED. SMALL CRAFT IN
UNPROTECTED ANCHORAGES WILL BE TORN FROM MOORINGS. BY TUESDAY...SEAS
WILL BUILD TO 15 TO 20 FEET BEYOND THE REEF...WITH SEAS OF 25 TO 30
FEET NEAR THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM RITA.

...RAINFALL IMPACTS...
A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF THE FLORIDA KEYS FOR LATE
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM 6 TO 10 INCHES ARE
EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. MOST STREETS WILL BE
IMPASSABLE FROM WATER AND DEBRIS.

...PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE/TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...
THE MAXIMUM PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS IN THE FLORIDA
KEYS IS 87 PERCENT AT MARATHON AND 84 PERCENT AT KEY WEST. THE
PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE FORCE WINDS IS 34 PERCENT AT MARATHON AND
35 PERCENT AT KEY WEST.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT CONCERNING THE IMPACTS OF TROPICAL STORM
RITA ON THE FLORIDA KEYS WILL BE ISSUED AT 530 PM EDT...OR SOONER
IF NEW INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU
MAY VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST WEB SITE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/KEYWEST.

$$
BS

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