[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMFL 201526
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-202130-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1006 AM EDT TUE SEP 20 2005

...WORST OF HURRICANE RITA WILL AFFECT SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST THROUGH 3PM THIS
AFTERNOON...

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

...NEW INFORMATION...
UPDATED STORM SURGE IMPACT
UPDATED STORM INFORMATION
UPDATED WIND INFORMATION

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 803 IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA UNTIL 5 PM
EDT THIS AFTERNOON.

FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MIAMI-DADE...BROWARD AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES
UNTIL 6 PM EDT.

MIAMI-DADE AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES...HURRICANE/INLAND HURRICANE WARNING.

BROWARD...PALM BEACH AND COLLIER COUNTIES...TROPICAL STORM/INLAND TROPICAL STORM
WARNING.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE...TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

GLADES AND HENDRY COUNTIES...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 11 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 23.8
NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.0 WEST OR ABOUT 145 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF MIAMI OR
150 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF MARCO ISLAND. RITA IS MOVING TOWARDS THE WEST
NEAR 15 MPH AND THIS GENERAL TRACK IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT
24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 85 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS MAKING RITA
A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS LIKELY DURING THE
NEXT 24 HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PERSONS THROUGHOUT SOUTH FLORIDA ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN INDOORS IN A SAFE
LOCATION UNTIL CONDITIONS IMPROVE LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
THE MORNING HIGH TIDE ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST WAS REACHED AROUND 11 AM
THIS MORNING BUT WITH STRONG ONSHORE WINDS...TIDE LEVELS WILL REMAIN HIGH AND
MAY RISE ANOTHER ONE OR TWO FEET IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE STORM SURGE FROM
RITA. LARGE WAVES ON TOP OF THE INCREASED TIDE LEVELS WILL LIKELY AFFECT PARTS
OF BISCAYNE BAY AND ELLIOT KEY INCLUDING COASTAL NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND COCONUT
GROVE...VIRGINIA KEY...KEY BISCAYNE AND MIAMI BEACH AND POSSIBLY PORTIONS OF THE
BEACHES IN BROWARD COUNTY. SOME LOW LYING COASTAL ACCESS ROADS MAY FLOOD. LOW
LYING BUILDINGS CLOSE TO THE COAST MAY BE FLOODED AS WELL.

FOR THE GULF COAST OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...THE OFFSHORE WIND FLOW MOST OF THIS
AFTERNOON WILL ACTUALLY BLOW WATER AWAY FROM THE COAST RESULTING IN MUCH
LOWER THAN NORMAL WATER LEVELS ESPECIALLY AT TIMES OF LOW TIDE. AS WINDS
TURN TO THE SOUTH LATE THIS AFTERNOON...TIDE LEVELS FROM FLAMINGO TO CAPE
SABLE WILL BEGIN TO RISE REACHING LEVELS OF 2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. THIS MAY
CAUSE COASTAL FLOODING OF ROADS AND RESIDENCES IN PLACES LIKE FLAMINGO...
CHOKOLOSKEE AND EVERGLADES CITY. ALONG THE COLLIER COUNTY COAST FROM MARCO
ISLAND TO NAPLES AND VANDERBILT BEACH THE HIGHEST STORM TIDE WILL OCCUR AFTER
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT WHEN ONSHORE WINDS AND THE HIGH TIDE COINCIDE. MAXIMUM STORM
TIDE COULD BE FROM 2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL AROUND THE HIGH TIDE NEAR 3
AM EDT WEDNESDAY.

ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE...PERSISTENT EASTERLY WIND FLOW WILL PUSH WATER LEVELS ONE
TO TWO FEET ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE WESTERN SHORE FROM SOUTH BAY TO CLEWISTON
AND MOORE HAVEN TO THE MOUTH OF FISHEATING CREEK AND LAKEPORT. ONLY MINOR
FLOODING IS EXPECTED OUTSIDE HOOVER DIKE PROTECTION.

...WIND IMPACTS...
AT 1030 AM A WIND GUST OF 52 MPH WAS REPORTED ON MIAMI BEACH. SPIRAL BANDS WILL
CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA METRO AREAS...PARTICULARLY IN
MIAMI-DADE AND BROWARD COUNTIES...THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. THESE BANDS WILL
CONTINUE TO PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH. WINDS WILL DECREASE AFTER ABOUT
4 PM THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE TO DECREASE THROUGHOUT THE EVENING AND
TONIGHT.

FOR COLLIER COUNTY...OCCASIONAL WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN
THE SPIRAL BANDS WHICH WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE METRO MARCO ISLAND AND NAPLES
AREAS THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE
TONIGHT.

FOR THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE REGION...OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 35 MPH MAY OCCUR FORCE
CAN BE EXPECTED WITH INTERMITTENT SPIRAL BANDS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. CONDITIONS
WILL BE IMPROVING THIS EVENING.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO BLOW DOWN TREES AND LARGE
TREE LIMBS WHICH WILL CAUSE SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES. PERSONS ENCOUNTERING
DOWNED POWER LINES SHOULD MOVE QUICKLY AWAY FROM THEM AND REPORT THEM TO FLORIDA
POWER AND LIGHT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WHEN COMING TO AN INTERSECTION WITH NO
TRAFFIC SIGNALS DUE TO POWER OUTAGE...USE FOUR WAY STOP RULES. TRAVEL IS
DISCOURAGED TODAY.

WHEN USING PORTABLE GENERATORS...REMEMBER TO PLACE GENERATORS IN A WELL
VENTILATED PLACE AWAY FROM PEOPLE TO AVOID CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. CARBON
MONOXIDE IS ODORLESS AND COLORLESS AND KILLS SILENTLY.

...PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE/TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...
ON THE GULF COAST OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...THE MAXIMUM PROBABILITY OF
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 39 MPH IS AROUND 70 PERCENT IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL
PARK...59 PERCENT IN MARCO ISLAND AND AROUND 40 PERCENT IN NAPLES. THE MAXIMUM
PROBABILITY OF WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH IS AROUND 25 PERCENT IN EVERGLADES
NATIONAL PARK...8 PERCENT IN MARCO ISLAND...AND 5 PERCENT IN NAPLES.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
WINDS OF 30 TO 35 KNOTS WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS AS HIGH AS 55 KNOTS
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS OF MIAMI-DADE AND BROWARD COUNTIES. AT
FOWEY ROCKS LIGHT...A GUST TO 55 KNOTS WAS OBSERVED AT 10 AM EDT. IN THE SPIRAL
BANDS...WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 KNOTS CAN BE EXPECTED ESPECIALLY IN THE MIAMI-
DADE COASTAL WATERS. WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KNOTS WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS AS HIGH AS
45 KNOTS CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE PALM BEACH COASTAL WATERS. ALL MARINE CRAFT
SHOULD REMAIN IN SECURE PORT THROUGH TODAY UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE LATE
TONIGHT.

IN THE GULF OF MEXICO COASTAL WATERS FROM EAST CAPE SABLE TO BONITA BEACH...
WINDS ARE ALREADY 15 TO 25 KNOTS WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 30 KNOTS. WINDS WILL
INCREASE TO 35 TO 45 KNOTS BY THE EARLY AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60
KNOTS POSSIBLE PARTICULARLY OFFSHORE. ALL MARINE CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN SECURE
PORT THROUGH TODAY AND TONIGHT UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE WEDNESDAY.

SURF ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA OCEAN BEACHES WILL BE VERY ROUGH TODAY
AND TONIGHT. DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ARE LIKELY TODAY AND PEOPLE ARE URGED TO
STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER UNTIL THE WEATHER IMPROVES.

ACROSS LAKE OKEECHOBEE...WINDS ARE ALREADY 15 KNOTS WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS
TO 25 KNOTS. WINDS WILL BE NEAR THIS STRENGTH THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON
WITH A FEW GUSTS TO NEAR 40 KNOTS.

...LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS...
DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATES LOCAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES HAVE
ALREADY FALLEN OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH MIAMI-DADE...MOSTLY IN AN AREA THAT
INCLUDES PERRINE...KENDALL AND CUTLER RIDGE AND GOULDS. THIS IS THE SAME AREA
THAT HAD NEARLY 15 TO 20 INCHES DURING HURRICANE KATRINA AND THUS AN URBAN
FLOOD ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON. ONSHORE FLOW ALONG
THE ATLANTIC COAST WILL HINDER DRAINAGE FROM LOCAL CANALS AND COULD AGGRAVATE
THE FLOODING PROBLEM AS HEAVY RAINS OCCUR. ELSEWHERE ACROSS MAINLAND SOUTH
FLORIDA RAINFALL SHOULD AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES.

...LOCAL TORNADO IMPACTS...
THERE IS A CHANCE OF QUICK STRIKING TORNADOES IN THE SPIRAL BANDS OF
RITA AND A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT. THE GREATEST RISK OF TORNADOES WILL BE
THIS AFTERNOON AS RITA CONTINUES TO MOVE WEST INTO THE SOUTHEAST GULF OF
MEXICO.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 230 PM EDT. FOR A GRAPHICAL
DEPICTION OF THIS STATEMENT PLEASE VISIT THE MIAMI WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE WEB
SITE AT WWW.MIAMIWEATHER.INFO OR EN ESPANOL AT WWW.ELTIEMPOENMIAMI.INFO.

$$

LUSHINE

This weather bulletin was brought to you by:
www.nashvilleweather.net