[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMFL 201833
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-202130-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
143 PM EDT TUE SEP 20 2005

...HURRICANE WARNING DISCONTINUED FOR MIAMI-DADE COUNTY...

...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 TORNADO IMPACT
UPDATED WATCHES/WARNINGS
UPDATED STORM INFORMATION
UPDATED STORM SURGE IMPACTS
UPDATED WIND IMPACTS
UPDATED LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS

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

LAKE OKEECHOBEE...TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

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

SOME WATCHES AND WARNING MAY BE DISCONTINUED AT 5 PM.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 2 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 23.9
NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.7 WEST OR ABOUT 150 MILES SOUTH 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 100 MPH
WITH HIGHER GUSTS MAKING RITA A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS
LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

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

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDE LEVELS ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST WILL BEGIN TO SLOWLY RECEDE AS
WINDS DECREASE LARGE WAVES WILL CONTINUE TO 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.

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 2 PM WINDS WERE GUSTING TO 49 MPH AT FORT LAUDERDALE AIRPORT AND 43 MPH ON
MIAMI BEACH. OTHER SPIRAL RAIN BANDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REMAINDER
OF THE AFTERNOON WITH WINDS DECREASING AFTER SUNSET ALONG THE SOUTHEAST
COAST AND BY MIDNIGHT ALONG THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COAST.

FOR INTERIOR SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE REGION...OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO
35 MPH MAY OCCUR FORCE CAN BE EXPECTED WITH INTERMITTENT SPIRAL BANDS THROUGH
THIS EVENING WITH CONDITIONS IMPROVING TONIGHT.

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.

...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 AND WEDNESDAY. DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ARE LIKELY AND PEOPLE
ARE URGED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER.

ACROSS LAKE OKEECHOBEE...WINDS OF 20 KNOTS WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 30 KNOTS.
WILL OCCUR THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON.

...LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS...
DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATES RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES HAVE FALLEN
OVER MUCH OF SOUTH MIAMI-DADE COUNTY WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS NEAR 6 INCHES.
THE REMAINDER OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND MOST OF BROWARD AND SOUTHERN PALM
BEACH COUNTIES HAVE RECEIVED ONE TO TWO INCHES. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF
ONE OR TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

...LOCAL TORNADO IMPACTS...
AT 215 PM EDT DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER SOUTHERN BROWARD
COUNTY AND OTHER TORNADOES MAY FORM THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. A TORNADO WATCH
CONTINUES IN EFFECT OVER ALL OF SOUTH FLORIDA.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 530 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

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