[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTBW 201852
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-202130-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
250 PM EDT TUE SEP 20 2005

...HURRICANE RITA CONTINUES TO INTENSIFY WHILE TRACKING STEADILY
WESTWARD SOUTH OF THE FLORIDA KEYS...

...NEW INFORMATION...
RITA IS NOW A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF
100 MPH AROUND THE INNER CORE.  SUSTAINED HURRICANE AND TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS REMAIN SOUTH OF LEE COUNTY.

OUTER FEEDER BANDS ARE BRINGING SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TO
LEE COUNTY...AND THIS ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST 6 PM
THIS EVENING. WIND GUSTSMAY BREIFLY EXCEED TROPICAL STORM FORCE...40
MPH...IN THESE BANDS. VISIBILITY MAY DROP BELOW 1 MILE IN LOCALLY
TORRENTIAL RAINS. AS WITH ANY TROPICAL CYCLONE FEEDER BAND...THERE IS
A SMALL THREAT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES.

FARTHER NORTH...SCATTERED FAST MOVING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE
RACING WEST ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA.  AMPLE SUNSHINE
HAS ALLOWED SOME OF THE CELLS TO BECOME STRONG...WITH WIND GUSTS
NEAR 50 MPH OBSERVED OVER TAMPA BAY AROUND 2 PM.  CONDITIONS WILL
TAPER OFF TOWARD SUNSET AS THE ATMOSPHERE STABILIZES A BIT.

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

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR BONITA BEACH NORTH TO
ENGLEWOOD.  THE WARNING MAY BE DISCONTINUED LATER THIS AFTERNOON OR
EVENING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 2 PM EDT... THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 23.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.7 WEST OR ABOUT 185 MILES
SOUTH OF FORT MYERS. THIS IS ALSO ABOUT 280 MILES SOUTH OF
TAMPA.  RITA IS MOVING STEADILY WEST AT 15 MPH.

...WIND IMPACTS...
SUSTAINED NORTHEAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE AT 15 TO 25 MPH EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON...BECOMING EAST AT 15 MPH BY EVENING. PEAK GUSTS
OF 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN STRONGER BANDS THAT WILL ROTATE ACROSS
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...MAINLY IN LEE
AND CHARLOTTE COUNTIES.  SIMILAR SUSTAINED WINDS AND GUSTS WILL ALSO
BE FELT NEAR THE COAST AND AROUND TAMPA BAY.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
THE CURRENT FORECAST MOVEMENT OF RITA WILL BRING OCCASIONAL BANDS
OF HEAVY RAIN TO LEE AND CHARLOTTE COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
BRIEF FLOODING OF STREETS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS IS POSSIBLE AS
EACH BAND PASSES...BUT NOTABLE FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED.

AREAL STORM TOTALS WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES IN LEE COUNTY...1
INCH IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY...AND LESS THAN ONE INCH IN DESOTO COUNTY.
HOWEVER...INDIVIDUAL STRONGER CELLS COULD PRODUCE UP TO A HALF AN
INCH ANYWHERE.  LOCATIONS WHICH EXPERIENCE THE STRONGER PORTION OF
FEEDER BANDS MAY RECEIVE MORE THAN 3 INCHES IN LEE COUNTY...AND
MORE THAN 2 INCHES IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY.

ALL RIVERS IN WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ARE WELL BELOW FLOOD
STAGE...AND NO RIVER FLOODING IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

...MARINE IMPACTS...
WINDS WILL CONTINUE AT 20 TO 30 KNOTS ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS
SOUTH OF ENGLEWOOD THROUGH EARLY EVENING...WITH GUSTS TO TROPICAL
STORM FORCE IN STRONGER CELLS EMBEDDED IN FEEDER BANDS ESPECIALLY
BETWEEN 2 PM AND 8 PM TODAY. WINDS WILL VEER FROM NORTHEAST TO
EAST...AND EVENTUALLY SOUTHEAST OVERNIGHT.

WITH WINDS CONTINUING FROM THE EAST AND NORTHEAST...AND RITA JUST
EMERGING INTO THE GULF...SEAS WILL INCREASE SHARPLY FROM NEARSHORE
TO OFFSHORE.  SEA HEIGHTS WILL RANGE FROM 2 FEET RIGHT NEAR SHORE TO
6 FEET 20 NM OFFSHORE...AND UP TO 10 FEET 60 NM OFFSHORE...BY LATE
AFTERNOON.  SEAS WILL BRIEFLY BUILD OVERNIGHT TO 10 TO 14 FEET
BETWEEN 20 AND 60 NM OUT...ESPECIALLY WEST OF BONITA BEACH.

SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT TODAY AND TONIGHT.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
THERE IS A LOW RISK OF TORNADOES IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY AS RITA CONTINUES MOVING SOUTH OF THE KEYS
AND INTO THE CENTRAL GULF LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
THERE IS NO THREAT OF SURGE. IN FACT...TIDES WILL RUN BELOW FORECAST
VALUES THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS WINDS CONTINUE TO BLOW
FROM THE NORTHEAST AND EAST.  OVERNIGHT...WINDS WILL BECOME
SOUTHEAST BUT SHOULD ALSO DIMINISH AS THE HURRICANE TAKES MOST OF THE
HIGHEST SEAS WITH IT WHILE CONTINUING WEST.  THUS...TIDES WILL RISE
AT MOST TO 1 FOOT ABOVE NORMAL EARLY WEDNESDAY.

...NEXT STATEMENT...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN RUSKIN WILL BE ISSUED BY 530 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

$$

BSG

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