[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLIX 231209
HLSLIX
LAZ034>038-040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068-231545-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
730 AM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE RITA CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARDS THE
UPPER TEXAS COAST AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA COAST...

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
INCLUDING LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND NEW ORLEANS METRO AREA...

...OUTER RAINBANDS SPREADING OVER SOUTHERN LOUISIANA...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...THE FOLLOWING PARISHES

ASSUMPTION...LAFOURCHE...TERREBONNE...JEFFERSON...ORLEANS...ST
TAMMANY...ST JOHN THE BAPTIST...ST CHARLES...ST BERNARD...ST
JAMES...PLAQUEMINES...TANGIPAHOA...POINTE COUPEE...WEST
FELICIANA...EAST FELICIANA...WEST AND EAST BATON ROUGE...ST
HELENA...LIVINGSTON...IBERVILLE...ASCENSION

IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...WILKINSON COUNTY

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF
LOUISIANA EAST OF MORGAN CITY TO THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER
INCLUDING METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...
WITH WINDS OF 40 MPH OR HIGHER...ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE WARNING
AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
INTERIOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FOR THE STRONG LIKELIHOOD OF
WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH TODAY AND THIS EVENING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 7 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
27.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 91.5 WEST OR 220 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF
LOUISIANA.

RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AT 8 TO9 MPH...AND THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS
TRACK...THE CORE OF RITA WILL BE APPROACHING THE SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
AND UPPER TEXAS COASTS LATE TODAY OR TONIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 140 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
HURRICANE RITA IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON
THE SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PERSONS LIVING IN LOW LYING AREAS NEAR BAYOUS AND COASTAL AREAS
PRONE TO STORM SURGE FLOODING SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER ELEVATIONS
FURTHER INLAND. MANY PARISHES IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA HAVE EVACUATIONS
ORDERS FOR FOR LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS IN PROGRESS AT THIS TIME.
RESIDENTS SHOULD LISTEN TO MEDIA FOR EVACUATION INFORMATION AND
FOLLOW EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS.

ALSO PERSONS LIVING IN UNSECURED MOBILE HOMES...TRAILERS...TENTS OR
HOMES STRUCTURALLY WEAKENED BY RECENT HURRICANES...SHOULD ALSO MAKE
PLANS TO MOVE TO MORE SECURE STRUCTURES DUE TO TROPICAL STORM WIND
GUSTS.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDES ARE 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL THIS MORNING. AS RITA MOVES
FURTHER INTO THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO... WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE
SOUTHEAST AND TIDES WILL INCREASE ALONG THE COAST. TIDES ALONG THE
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA COAST WILL INCREASE TO 4 TO 5 FEET ABOVE
NORMAL...AND 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI COAST
THIS AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY AS WINDS BECOME MORE SOUTHEASTERLY.
STORM TIDES OF 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL CAN BE EXPECTED IN LAKES
PONTCHARTRAIN AND MAUREPAS. IN ADDITION LARGE WAVES WILL ALSO AFFECT
THE IMMEDIATE COASTAL AREA AND INCREASE THE FLOOD THREAT. SINCE
KATRINA...THE COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA ARE EXTREMELY
VULNERABLE TO COASTAL TIDAL FLOODING. IN ADDITION MANY HURRICANE
PROTECTION LEVEES IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA HAVE BEEN DEGRADED FROM
THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA. FLOODING OF LOW LYING ROADWAYS AND
AREAS NEAR BAYOUS WILL LIKELY OCCUR AS THE TIDES INCREASE.

...WIND IMPACTS...
RITA HAS DEVELOPED INTO A LARGE HURRICANE WITH TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS EXTENDING OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES FROM THE CENTER. AS
HURRICANE RITA MOVES ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO...TROPICAL STORM
WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WILL REACH THE COASTAL AREA FROM THE MOUTH OF
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WESTWARD AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY.
TROPICAL STORM WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH MAY SPREAD INTO METRO NEW
ORLEANS AREA TODAY...MAINLY ASSOCIATED WITH SQUALLS. EFFORTS SHOULD
BE MADE TO SECURE LOOSE DEBRIS AT THIS TIME.

...RAINFALL...
OCCASIONAL SQUALLS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY AND POSSIBLY INTO
SATURDAY. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY THESE SQUALLS THROUGH
EARLY SATURDAY. THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF RAINFALL IS EXPECTED OVER THE
SOUTHEASTERN PARISHES WHERE SIX TO EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN COULD FALL
THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.  IN GENERAL...THREE TO FIVE INCHES
OF RAIN IS EXPECTED SOUTH OF A LINE FROM THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL
RIVER...WEST TO NEW ORLEANS AND FURTHER WEST TO ASCENSION AND
SOUTHERN PLAQUEMINES PARISHES. DEBRIS FROM HURRICANE KATRINA DAMAGE
REMAINS IN DRAINAGE CANALS AND MAY HINDER RAINFALL RUNOFF. PUMPING
STATION CAPACITY STILL REMAINS DEGRADED DUE TO HURRICANE KATRINA.

...TORNADO THREAT...
THE TORNADO THREAT WILL LIKELY INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
AS RITA NEARS THE TEXAS-LOUISIANA BORDER REGION. THIS WILL PLACE
MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA IN THE FAR NORTHEASTERN QUADRANT OF
RITA...WHICH IS THE PREFERRED REGIONS FOR TORNADOES TO DEVELOP IN
HURRICANES.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1045 AM CDT.

$$


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