[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTBW 300314
HLSTBW
FLZ050>052-055>057-060>062-065-300700-

TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1114 PM EDT TUE AUG 29 2006

...ERNESTO NOT STRENGTHENING AS IT APPROACHES SOUTHERN TIP OF
FLORIDA...

...NEW INFORMATION...
AT 11 PM EDT...THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH AND INLAND TROPICAL STORM
WATCH FOR SARASOTA...MANATEE...HILLSBOROUGH...AND PINELLAS COUNTIES
HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. ALSO...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND INLAND
TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR LEE...CHARLOTTE...AND DESOTO COUNTIES
HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. FINALLY...THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING
FOR HARDEE COUNTY HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. INLAND TROPICAL STORM
WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR HIGHLANDS AND POLK COUNTIES.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 11 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 24.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 80.5 WEST...OR ABOUT 140 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF FORT MYERS...AND 230 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TAMPA BAY.
ERNESTO IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH...AND A TURN
TO THE NORTH WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED BY
WEDNESDAY. ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER WILL REACH THE SOUTH FLORIDA
PENINSULA IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45
MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SLOW WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AFTER THE
CENTER OF ERNESTO MAKES LANDFALL.

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

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR POLK AND
HIGHLANDS COUNTIES.

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...
SUSTAINED WINDS WILL REMAIN BELOW 20 MPH THROUGH WEDNESDAY...HOWEVER
STRONGER RAIN BANDS WILL BEGIN TO MOVE INTO LEE AND CHARLOTTE
COUNTIES AROUND DAWN AND MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. AS
ERNESTO CONTINUES NORTHWARD...RAIN BANDS CLOSER TO THE STORM CENTER
MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH OVER HIGHLANDS AND EASTERN
POLK COUNTIES...MAINLY FROM MID-DAY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON
WEDNESDAY.

ELSEWHERE...STRONGEST WIND GUSTS IN RAIN BANDS ON WEDNESDAY WILL BE
30 TO 35 MPH.

THE BEST CHANCE FOR SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BE
IN 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 DAWN 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...
AN ISOLATED 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 THAN NORMAL
SURF AND SOME MINOR BEACH EROSION POSSIBLE. RIP CURRENTS WILL ALSO
BECOME A THREAT WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED WITHIN 24 HOURS OR LESS. ALL STORM RELATED PREPAREDNESS
ACTIVITIES SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY NOW AS GUSTY WINDS IN HEAVY
RAIN BANDS WILL BEGIN EARLY WEDNESDAY.

...PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM/HURRICANE CONDITIONS...
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...MAINLY IN GUSTS...ARE EXPECTED TO 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 2 AM.

$$

JILLSON

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