[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTBW 300015
HLSTBW
FLZ050>052-055>057-060>062-065-300300-

TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
815 PM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006

...TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO APPROACHING SOUTH FLORIDA COAST...

...NEW INFORMATION...
OUTER RAINBANDS OF TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO ARE ACROSS SOUTH
FLORIDA AND ARE JUST SOUTH OF LEE AND CHARLOTTE COUNTIES.  BANDS OF
RAIN WILL SPREAD OVER LEE COUNTY BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.


...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 8 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 24.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 80.4 WEST...OR ABOUT 155 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF FORT MYERS...AND 255 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TAMPA BAY.
ERNESTO IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 13 MPH...AND THIS
GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. ON THIS TRACK...THE
CENTER WILL CROSS THE FLORIDA KEYS DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR
TWO...AND REACH THE SOUTH FLORIDA PENINSULA AROUND MIDNIGHT.  MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE
IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED PRIOR TO LANDFALL.

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO SOUTHWEST AND
WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR COASTAL AREAS OF LEE
AND CHARLOTTE COUNTIES.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR NON COASTAL
AND NON TIDAL AREAS OF CHARLOTTE...LEE AND DESOTO COUNTIES...AND
FOR ALL OF POLK...HARDEE AND HIGHLANDS COUNTIES.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR COASTAL AREAS OF SARASOTA...
MANATEE...HILLSBOROUGH...AND PINELLAS COUNTY.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NON COASTAL AND NON
TIDAL AREAS OF SARASOTA...MANATEE...AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES.

ANY WESTWARD SHIFT IN THE TRACK WOULD REQUIRE TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS
FOR COASTAL AREAS OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 4 AM THURSDAY MORNING FOR
PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...MANATEE...SARASOTA...HARDEE...
DESOTO...HIGHLANDS...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES.

...WINDS...
EASTERLY WINDS WILL REMAIN BELOW 10 MPH THROUGH THIS EVENING...
HOWEVER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS NOT DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH
ERNESTO MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 30 MPH THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL
INCREASE TO 10 TO 15 MPH BY MIDNIGHT ACROSS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...AND
REACH 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH IN RAIN BANDS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IN CHARLOTTE AND LEE COUNTIES BY DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY.
WINDS WILL SHIFT TO NORTH AND CONTINUE AT 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP
TO 45 MPH IN STRONGER SQUALLS BY LATE MORNING BEFORE GRADUALLY
DIMINISHING DURING THE AFTERNOON.

SIMILAR WINDS WILL MOVE INTO DESOTO...POLK...AND HIGHLANDS
COUNTIES BEFORE NOON WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE INTO MID OR LATE
AFTERNOON BEFORE DIMINISHING. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO WEST OR
SOUTHWEST AND DROP BELOW 20 MPH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

THE BEST CHANCE FOR SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BE
IN MUCH OF LEE COUNTY...THEN ALONG AND EAST OF U.S. 17 IN
CHARLOTTE AND DESOTO COUNTIES...MOST OF HIGHLANDS COUNTY...AND IN
POLK COUNTY MAINLY EAST OF U.S. 27.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE...
THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK SUGGESTS WINDS WILL BE MAINLY OFFSHORE
UNTIL THE STORM MOVES NORTH OF THE AREA. AFTER THE STORM PASSES
WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST OR SOUTHWEST...WHICH COULD INCREASE
TIDES 1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

...INLAND FLOODING...
OCCASIONAL RAIN SQUALLS WILL ARRIVE BY MIDNIGHT ACROSS SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA AND QUICKLY SPREAD NORTHWARD UP THE CENTRAL FLORIDA PENINSULA
DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE WEDNESDAY NIGHT
INTO EARLY THURSDAY.

TOTAL RAINFALL THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING IS EXPECTED TO BE
BETWEEN 2 AND 5 INCHES. MUCH WILL DEPEND ON THE ACTUAL TRACK OF
ERNESTO. HOWEVER...HEAVY BURSTS OF RAIN MAY CAUSE MINOR FLOODING
OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS... ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS.  THE
HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL BE ALONG AND EAST OF THE TRACK OF ERNESTO...
WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER THE INTERIOR FLORIDA PENINSULA.

...TORNADOES...
A TORNADO IS POSSIBLE IN THE OUTER RAIN BANDS OF TROPICAL STORM
ERNESTO LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY.

...BEACH EROSION...
ONSHORE WINDS WILL DEVELOP WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH HIGH
SURF AND SOME MINOR BEACH EROSION POSSIBLE. RIP CURRENTS WILL ALSO
BECOME A THREAT WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED WITHIN 24 HOURS OR LESS. ALL STORM RELATED PREPAREDNESS
ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY THIS EVENING.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS. THERE IS STILL SOME
UNCERTAINTY IN THE FUTURE TRACK AND INTENSITY OF ERNESTO.
BE READY TO IMPLEMENT STORM READY PLANS SHOULD WARNINGS BE ISSUED BY
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR YOUR COUNTY.

...PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM/HURRICANE CONDITIONS...
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA LATE TONIGHT...AND SPREAD OVER THE INTERIOR FLORIDA PENINSULA
WEDNESDAY.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN RUSKIN WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 11 PM.

$$

EO


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