[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMLB 291539
HLSMLB
AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147-
292230-

TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
1130 AM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006

...ERNESTO OVER WATER AND NOW AIMING AT FLORIDA...

...NEW INFORMATION...
TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED NORTH OF NEW SMYRNA
BEACH TO SOUTHERN GEORGIA.

 ...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR RESIDENTS OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...INCLUDING
MARTIN...SAINT LUCIE...OKEECHOBEE...INDIAN RIVER...BREVARD...
OSCEOLA...ORANGE...SEMINOLE...VOLUSIA...AND LAKE COUNTIES.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
FOR COASTAL SECTIONS...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND HURRICANE WATCH
IS IN EFFECT FROM NEW SMYRNA BEACH SOUTHWARD ALONG THE FLORIDA
ATLANTIC COAST...INCLUDING LAKE OKEECHOBEE. NORTH OF NEW SMYRNA
BEACH...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT.

FOR INLAND SECTIONS...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND INLAND
HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR OKEECHOBEE...MARTIN...SAINT LUCIE...
INDIAN RIVER...BREVARD...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES. FARTHER WEST...AN
INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR OSCEOLA...ORANGE...
SEMINOLE...AND LAKE COUNTIES.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 11 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 23.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.5 WEST. THIS POSITION IS
ABOUT 300 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF VERO BEACH. ERNESTO IS MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 13 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE TODAY AND TONIGHT. ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER WILL BE
APPROACHING THE FLORIDA KEYS AND THE SOUTHERN PENINSULA TONIGHT.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA RESIDENTS SHOULD MAKE EFFICIENT USE OF THE
DAYLIGHT HOURS TODAY TO PREPARE FOR THE LIKELIHOOD OF TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS. NEAR THE COAST AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE...RESIDENTS SHOULD
ALSO BE PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF MINIMAL HURRICANE
CONDITIONS. RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES SHOULD IMPLEMENT THEIR ACTION
PLANS FOR A STRONG TROPICAL STORM EVENT TO OCCUR OVERNIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY. LISTEN TO LOCAL OFFICIALS AND HEED THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS.
PERSONS IN MOBILE HOMES...ESPECIALLY IF UNANCHORED...SHOULD CONSIDER
MOVING TO A SAFER PLACE. BRING IN LIGHT WEIGHT OBJECTS SUCH AS
GARBAGE CANS...TOOLS...AND LAWN FURNITURE...WHICH MIGHT GET TOSSED
ABOUT IN GUSTY WINDS. PERFORM A BATTERY CHECK ON FLASHLIGHTS AND
RADIOS...ESPECIALLY YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO. MARINAS SHOULD ENSURE
THAT ALL ARRANGEMENTS ARE MADE FOR THE SAFETY OF THEIR SMALL
BOATERS.

KEEP INFORMED OF THE LATEST SITUATION TODAY AS THERE IS STILL SOME
UNCERTAINTY IN THE FORECAST AND SOME ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE
TRACK MAY OCCUR.

...WINDS...
THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WITH ERNESTO ARE CURRENTLY NEAR 45 MPH.
HOWEVER...SOME STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE
FLORIDA STRAITS TOWARD SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY AND TONIGHT AND ERNEST
COULD BECOME A STRONG TROPICAL STORM OR EVEN A MINIMAL HURRICANE
BEFORE LANDFALL. AFTER LANDFALL LATE TONIGHT AND ERNESTO MOVES INLAND
TOWARD CENTRAL FLORIDA...THE RISK FOR HURRICANE CONDITIONS ACROSS
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA WILL DIMINISH.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS...BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH WITH GUSTS
POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS 60 TO 70 MPH WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD LATE
TONIGHT...REACHING MARTIN...SAINT LUCIE...AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES BY
DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY. AS ERNESTO CONTINUES MOVING NORTHWARD...TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REACH INDIAN RIVER...BREVARD...
OSCEOLA...ORANGE...SEMINOLE...LAKE...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES BETWEEN
LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. THE TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO LAST ABOUT 12 HOURS. THE STRONGEST WINDS...ESPECIALLY IN
GUSTS...WILL OCCUR NEAR THE CENTER OF ERNESTO AND ALONG THE COAST AS
RAINBANDS SPREAD ONSHORE.

...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE...
AS ERNESTO NORTHWARD ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA...STORM SURGE
HEIGHTS MAY REACH 2 TO 3 FEET IN A BRISK ONSHORE FLOW. DURING THE
EARLY AFTERNOON HIGH TIDE...AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 3 FEET RISE WILL
OCCUR...RESULTING IN A MODERATE THREAT OF LOCALIZED COASTAL FLOODING
DURING THE HIGH TIDE CYCLE. BEACH EROSION AND RIP CURRENTS WILL ALSO
OCCUR WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. RISES WITHIN THE INTRACOASTAL
WATERS SHOULD BE 2 FEET OR LESS...EXCEPT POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS 3 FEET
IN SHELTERED AREAS EXPOSED TO STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AS THE STORM
CENTER PASSES WEST OF THE REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

...INLAND FLOODING...
A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL COUNTIES ALONG AND EAST OF
THE FORECAST TRACK. FORECAST RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE 3 TO 6 INCHES...
WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS UP TO 8 INCHES POSSIBLE. LOW LYING AND
POOR DRAINAGE AREAS WILL BE THE FIRST TO FLOOD. SOME ROADS OR
INTERSECTIONS MAY BECOME TEMPORARILY IMPASSABLE. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR
VEHICLE WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT
TO ALLOW YOU TO CROSS SAFELY.

...TORNADOES...
HISTORICALLY...THE SCENARIO ASSOCIATED WITH ERNESTO PROMPTS A LOW
TORNADO THREAT MAINLY WITHIN THE OUTER RAINBANDS THAT ROTATE ONSHORE.
PRESENTLY...THE THREAT FOR SHORT-LIVED TORNADOES APPEARS GREATEST
OVERNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY IN VICINITY
OF THE COAST. IF THE CENTER OF ERNESTO TRACKS FARTHER WESTWARD THAN
CURRENTLY EXPECTED...THE TORNADO THREAT WOULD LIKELY INCREASE.

...MARINE...
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT SOUTH OF VERO BEACH...THEN SPREAD NORTHWARD WEDNESDAY. A
FEW HURRICANE FORCE GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN RAINBANDS AND
NEAR THE CORE. THE CENTER OF ERNESTO IS FORECAST TO MOVE BACK OUT
OVER THE WATER BETWEEN PORT CANAVERAL AND FLAGLER BEACH WEDNESDAY
NIGHT. DURING THE EVENT...SEAS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BUILD TO 16
FEET WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT BETWEEN JUPITER INLET AND FLAGLER
BEACH.

MARINERS SHOULD MOVE TO SAFE HARBOR WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE ONSET OF
THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. AS THE CENTER OF ERNESTO MOVES NORTH
OVER FLORIDA...STRONG WINDS OVER THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY WILL
PRODUCE VERY ROUGH CONDITIONS...POSSIBLY DAMAGING SOME BOATS AND
DOCKS...ESPECIALLY THOSE EXPOSED TO STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN MELBOURNE WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 6 PM OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS
WARRANT.

A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT CAN BE FOUND
ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE WEB SITE AT

WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MLB/GHLS/HLS_MAIN.HTML

$$

SPRATT
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