[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KCRP 231246
HLSCRP
GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ233-234-242>247-231600-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
745 AM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

...DANGEROUS HURRICANE RITA CONTINUES HEADING TOWARD THE UPPER TEXAS
   COAST...

...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF CALHOUN...NUECES...
SAN PATRICIO...ARANSAS...REFUGIO...GOLIAD...BEE...VICTORIA AND
KLEBERG COUNTIES...

...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

THE LATEST FORECAST TRACK FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
CONTINUES TO SHOW HURRICANE RITA MAKING LANDFALL ACROSS THE EXTREME
UPPER TEXAS COAST BY SATURDAY MORNING.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM PORT O'CONNOR...
SOUTH TO PORT MANSFIELD. THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING INCLUDES
KLEBERG...NUECES...SAN PATRICIO...ARANSAS...REFUGIO AND CALHOUN
COUNTIES. AT LEAST A PORTION OF THIS TROPICAL STORM WARNING MAY BE
DISCONTINUED TODAY.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF
THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST INCLUDING VICTORIA...CALHOUN...ARANSAS...
GOLIAD AND REFUGIO COUNTIES.

...STORM INFORMATION...

AT 4 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
27.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 91.5 WEST...OR ABOUT 380 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST
OF CORPUS CHRISTI.

RITA CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTHWEST NEAR 9 MPH. THIS MOTION IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK...
MOST OF THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE RITA WILL REMAIN WELL NORTH OF THE
COASTAL BEND OF TEXAS.

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


...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

...EVACUATION INFORMATION...

MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR CALHOUN COUNTY. A
DUSK TO DAWN CURFEW IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR CALHOUN COUNTY.

VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDERS ARE IN PLACE FOR THE COASTAL BEND
COUNTIES OF BEE...GOLIAD...VICTORIA...REFUGIO...JIM WELLS...
AND NUECES.

FOR CORPUS CHRISTI...A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDER IS IN PLACE
FOR THE CITY.

FOR PORT ARANSAS...A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION ORDER IS IN PLACE.
THE BEACHES REMAIN CLOSED.

EVACUATION ORDERS HAVE BEEN LIFTED FOR ARANSAS...SAN PATRICIO...
AND KLEBERG COUNTIES.


...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...

LONG PERIOD SWELLS FROM HURRICANE RITA ARE CONTINUING TO MOVE INTO
THE OFFSHORE WATERS WITH SEAS OF 12 TO 16 FEET OCCURRING 20 TO 60
NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. SEAS
ARE EXPECTED TO RISE TO 15 TO 20 FEET THIS AFTERNOON...AND
POSSIBLY UP TO 20 TO 25 FEET BY THIS EVENING.

TIDE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING ONE TO TWO FEET ABOVE NORMAL ALONG
THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST FROM BAFFIN BAY...NORTHWARD TO PORT O'CONNOR.
THE LARGE SWELLS...COMBINED WITH THE HIGH ASTRONOMICAL TIDES...WILL
PUSH TOTAL TIDE LEVELS AS HIGH AS 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL
ALONG AREA BEACHES THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FLOODING OF BEACHES AND BEACH ACCESS ROADS. THE PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL
SEASHORE HAS ALREADY REPORTED THE WATER UP TO THE DUNES.

TIDE LEVELS OF 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL WILL BE POSSIBLE AT
PORT OCONNOR AND PORTIONS OF MATAGORDA ISLAND TONIGHT. THIS WILL
CAUSE SHALLOW FLOODING OF SOME AREAS IN PORT OCONNOR. SOME LOW LYING
AREAS OF MAGNOLIA BEACH WILL ALSO BE FLOODED. IN ADDITION...PORTIONS
OF MATAGORDA ISLAND WILL BE FLOODED AS WELL AS AREAS OF THE ARANSAS
WILDLIFE REFUGE. SOME FLOODING IN THE INDIANOLA AREA MAY ALSO OCCUR.

IN ADDITION...LARGE BREAKING WAVES WILL PRODUCE VERY ROUGH SURF AND A
GREATER RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ALONG AREA BEACHES. SWIMMING
OR SURFING IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.

...WIND IMPACTS...

BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF RITA...THE HIGHEST WINDS
LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO BE CONFINED TO THE EXTREME
NORTHERN PORTION OF THE COASTAL BEND REGION. SUSTAINED WINDS COULD
REACH 25 TO 35 MPH BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER VICTORIA
AND CALHOUN COUNTIES...WITH GUST TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE...ESPECIALLY
WITHIN SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXTREME OUTER RAINBANDS OF RITA.

...RAINFALL...

SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE OFFSHORE GULF
WATERS BEYOND 20 NM LATER THIS AFTERNOON...AND THE POSSIBLY OVER
PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN COASTAL BEND TOWARD THIS EVENING. RAINFALL
AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ONE QUARTER INCH THROUGH THIS
EVENING. BETTER CHANCES FOR RAINFALL WILL OCCUR TONIGHT AND EARLY
SATURDAY...AGAIN MAINLY OVER THE EXTREME NORTHERN COASTAL BEND. TOTAL
RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ONE HALF INCH OR LESS TONIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.

THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 11 AM CDT
THIS MORNING.

$$

RFM

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