[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KEYW 200001
HLSEYW
FLZ076-077-078-GMZ031-032-033-052-053-054-072-073-074-075-200330-

TROPICAL STORM RITA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
800 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 IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE FLORIDA KEYS...
...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS...
...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS...

...NEW INFORMATION SINCE LAST ISSUANCE...
STORM INFORMATION UPDATED.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS 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 800 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 23.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 77.0 WEST...OR ABOUT 280 MILES
EAST-SOUTHEAST OF MARATHON...AND ABOUT 320 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF
KEY WEST. TROPICAL STORM RITA HAS WOBBLED WESTWARD DURING THE PAST
FEW HOURS...HOWEVER...A MOTION TOWARD THE WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 13 MPH
IS EXPECTED TO RESUME LATER TONIGHT AND CONTINUE FOR 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 IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE
LATER TONIGHT. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE WAS 993 MB...OR 29.32
INCHES OF MERCURY.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A MANDATORY EVACUATION IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL FLORIDA KEYS. THE
SHELTER AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IS OPEN FOR GENERAL
POPULATION. THE MONROE COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER IS 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 AND COUNTY OFFICES...AND CITY AND COUNTY PARKS ARE
CLOSED. ALL HOSPITALS IN THE KEYS ARE CLOSED. MONROE COUNTY SCHOOLS
ARE CLOSED THROUGH WEDNESDAY. TOLLS ON CARD SOUND ROAD ARE
SUSPENDED. KEY WEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND MARATHON AIRPORT ARE
CLOSED. GREYHOUND BUS LINES IN KEY WEST WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER
NOTICE. 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
SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN 6 TO 9 FEET IS POSSIBLE SHOULD STORM PASSAGE
COINCIDE WITH HIGH TIDE. HIGH TIDES AT WHALE HARBOR CHANNEL ARE AT
AND 1118 AM AND 1129 PM ON TUESDAY. HIGH TIDES AT KEY WEST HARBOR
ARE AT 230 PM ON TUESDAY...AND 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.

...TORNADO IMPACT...
ISOLATED TORNADOS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS BEGINNING
TUESDAY MORNING.

...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 90 PERCENT AT MARATHON AND 89 PERCENT AT KEY WEST. THE
PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE FORCE WINDS IS 38 PERCENT AT MARATHON AND
40 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 1130 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.

$$
SD/CB/AF/MP/AD


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