[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMFL 202128
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-210030-

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

...ALL TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ALONG SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST HAVE BEEN
DISCONTINUED...

...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 WATCHES/WARNINGS
UPDATED STORM INFORMATION
UPDATED PRECAUTIONARY ACTIONS
UPDATED STORM SURGE IMPACTS
UPDATED WIND IMPACTS
UPDATED LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA MAINLAND UNTIL 1 AM.

FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MIAMI-DADE...BROWARD AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES
UNTIL 8 AM EDT WEDNESDAY.

MAINLAND MONROE COUNTY...HURRICANE WARNING AND INLAND HURRICANE WARNING.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR FAR INLAND SECTIONS.

COLLIER COUNTY...TROPICAL STORM WARNING/INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.0
NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.2 WEST OR ABOUT 135 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF MARCO ISLAND.
RITA IS MOVING TOWARDS THE WEST NEAR 15 MPH AND THIS MOTION 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
FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PERSONS GOING OUTDOORS TONIGHT SHOULD BE CAREFUL TO AVOID DOWNED ELECTRICAL
LINES...DEBRIS OR FLOODED AREAS.

PERSONS USING PORTABLE GENERATORS AND GRILLS SHOULD BE CAREFUL TO AVOID
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING CAN OCCUR WHEN USING
THESE DEVICES IN ENCLOSED AREAS. REMEMBER TO PLACE GENERATORS AND GRILLS
OUTDOORS IN A WELL VENTILATED PLACE. CARBON MONOXIDE IS ODORLESS AND COLORLESS
AND KILLS SILENTLY.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
FOR THE GULF COAST OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...WINDS ALONG THE MAINLAND SIDE OF
FLORIDA BAY WILL BECOME MORE ONSHORE EARLY TONIGHT THEN LATE TONIGHT FROM MARCO
ISLAND TO NAPLES LATE TONIGHT. NEAR THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE...AROUND 4 AM...TIDAL
FLOODING OF 1 TO 3 FEET MAY OCCUR IN THE FLAMINGO...CHOKOLOSKEE...EVERGLADES
CITY AREA THAT MAY AFFECT AREA ROADS. A TIDE ABOUT ONE FOOT ABOVE NORMAL MAY
OCCUR FROM MARCO ISLAND TO BONITA BEACH...INCLUDING THE NAPLES AREA.

FOR THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST...STORM TIDE LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY
RECEDE AS ONSHORE WINDS DECREASE. THE NEXT HIGH TIDE ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
COAST WILL BE NEAR 1030 PM TONIGHT AND SOME MINOR TIDAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE
NEAR THAT TIME.

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 5 PM WINDS WERE GUSTING TO 35 MPH AT MIAMI BEACH...BUT WIND GUSTS OVER MOST
OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA WERE LESS THAN 30 MPH AND SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO
AROUND 20 MPH.  WINDS SHOULD CONTINUE TO DECREASE THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.

FOR INTERIOR SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE REGION...OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO
35 MPH MAY OCCUR THIS EVENING THEN DECREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
ALTHOUGH THE TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST HAVE BEEN
CANCELLED...SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE...
LATER TONIGHT. WINDS TONIGHT ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST WILL BE EAST
AROUND 25 KNOTS WITH A FEW HIGHER GUSTS...DECREASING TO 20 KNOTS LATE TONIGHT.

IN THE GULF OF MEXICO COASTAL WATERS FROM EAST CAPE SABLE TO BONITA BEACH...
WINDS TONIGHT WILL BE EAST AROUND 20 TO 30 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 35 KNOTS. ALL
MARINE CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN SECURE PORT THROUGH TODAY AND TONIGHT UNTIL WINDS
AND SEAS SUBSIDE WEDNESDAY.

ACROSS LAKE OKEECHOBEE...WINDS OF 20 KNOTS WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 30 KNOTS.
WILL OCCUR THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT.

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

...LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS...
DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATES RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES HAVE FALLEN
OVER MUCH OF SOUTH MIAMI-DADE COUNTY...SOUTH OF TAMIAMI TRAIL. 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 ABOUT ONE INCH ARE
POSSIBLE TONIGHT. A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM WEDNESDAY.

...LOCAL TORNADO IMPACTS...
SPIRAL BANDS CONTINUE TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA PENINSULA AND A
TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 830 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