[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLIX 231851
HLSLIX
LAZ038-040-056-058>070-232230-

HURRICANE  LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
200 PM CDT FRI SEP 23 2005

...OVER TOPPING ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL LEVEES CONTINUES WITH
FLOODING IN ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD PARISHES...

...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...LIVINGSTON

...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 FREQUENT WIND GUSTS
BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD
PARISHES DUE TO OVER-TOPPING ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 100 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 27.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 92.2 WEST OR 220 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF NEW ORLEANS

RITA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AT 10 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 EARLY SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 125 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
HURRICANE RITA IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON
THE SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE. A FURTHER SLOW WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE
BEFORE LANDFALL...BUT RITA IS STILL EXPECTED COME ASHORE AS A
DANGEROUS HURRICANE.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PERSONS LIVING IN LOW LYING AREAS NEAR DAMAGED LEVEES...BAYOUS AND
COASTAL AREAS PRONE TO STORM SURGE FLOODING SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER
ELEVATIONS FURTHER INLAND NOW. 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...
OVER-TOPPING CONTINUES ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL LEVEE BETWEEN
CLAIBORNE AND FLORIDA AVENUE IN NEW ORLEANS WITH FLOODING IN
PORTIONS OF ORLEANS AND ST BERNARD PARISHES. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE AFFECTED AREA.

TIDES ARE 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. AS RITA
MOVES FURTHER INTO THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO...EAST WINDS WILL SHIFT
TO THE SOUTHEAST AND TIDES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ALONG THE COAST.
TIDES ALONG THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA WILL INCREASE TO 3 TO 6 FEET
ABOVE NORMAL EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...AND 4 TO 7 FEET ABOVE
NORMAL WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LATER TODAY AND THROUGH SATURDAY
AS WINDS BECOME MORE SOUTHEASTERLY. STORM TIDES OF 3 TO 5 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 HURRICANE 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 DAMAGED
LEVEES...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 ARE OCCURRING ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS OF
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. TROPICAL STORM
WIND GUSTS OF OF 40 TO 45 MPH HAVE BEEN RECENTLY REPORTED IN THE
GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA AS SQUALLS MOVE THROUGH THE REGION.
EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO SECURE LOOSE DEBRIS AT THIS TIME.

...RAINFALL...
OCCASIONAL SQUALLS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT...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 FOUR TO SIX INCHES OF RAIN COULD
FALL THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. 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...
A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SEVERAL REPORTS OF
FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED DURING THE MORNING AND EARLY
AFTERNOON...BUT NO CONFIRMED REPORTS OF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS HAVE
BEEN REPORTED. THE THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE OVER SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA THROUGH TONIGHT.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 500 PM CDT.

$$

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