[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMFL 300942
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-301200-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
542 AM EDT WED AUG 30 2006

...ERNESTO MOVING NORTH THROUGH THE EVERGLADES TOWARD LAKE
OKEECHOBEE...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS IN SOUTH FLORIDA
AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS INCLUDING LAKE OKEECHOBEE: COLLIER...
GLADES...HENDRY...PALM BEACH...BROWARD...MIAMI-DADE AND MAINLAND
MONROE.

...NEW INFORMATION...
UPDATED STORM INFORMATION, WINDS, INLAND FLOODING, MARINE IMPACTS,
TORNADO IMPACTS.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE ATLANTIC
COAST OF MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA, LAKE OKEECHOBEE, THE NORTH COAST OF
FLORIDA BAY AND THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA GULF COAST.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF
MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA.

A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 AM EDT...TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.6
NORTH, LONGITUDE 80.9 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 45 MILES WEST OF
MIAMI, 90 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WEST PALM BEACH, OR 60 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF NAPLES. ERNESTO HAS BEEN MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 8
MPH. A TURN TO THE NORTH WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS
EXPECTED LATER TODAY. ERNESTO IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER THE FLORIDA
PENINSULA FOR THE NEXT DAY OR TWO AS IT MOVES SLOWLY NORTH. MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 45 MPH PRIMARILY OVER MARINE AREAS. SOME
WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE AS THE CENTER OF ERNESTO REMAINS OVER LAND.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
IF DOWNED POWER LINES ARE ENCOUNTERED, STAY FAR AWAY UNTIL
AUTHORITIES CAN SHUT OFF POWER AND SECURE THE DOWNED LINE. IF POWER
LINES ARE ENTANGLED IN DOWNED TREES, KEEP FAR AWAY UNTIL PROPERLY
TRAINED EXPERTS CAN ADDRESS THE SITUATION. NEVER USE CHAIN SAWS ON
TREES THAT HAVE POWER LINES ENTANGLED IN THEM.

GENERATORS IN USE CREATE CARBON MONOXIDE GAS, A COLORLESS ODORLESS
GAS THAT CAN KILL IN POORLY VENTILATED AREAS. ALWAYS OPERATE
GENERATORS WITH PLENTY OF FRESH AIR FLOW, NEVER IN A CLOSED GARAGE.

...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE...
STORM SURGE EFFECTS WITH ERNESTO ARE EXPECTED TO BE MINIMAL OVER THE
ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTAL WATERS.

ACROSS LAKE OKEECHOBEE...THE CURRENT LAKE LEVEL IS 12.2 FEET WHICH IS
WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. ON THE CURRENT FORECAST
TRACK, A MINIMAL STORM SURGE OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE CURRENT LAKE LEVELS
OR A STORM TIDE OF 13 TO 15 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL IS POSSIBLE.
THE SURGE WILL AFFECT THE GLADES AND HENDRY COUNTY SHORELINE THIS
MORNING AND GRADUALLY MOVE TOWARD THE NORTHERN SHORE FROM BUCKHEAD
RIDGE TO THE TOWN OF OKEECHOBEE TO PORT MAYACA THIS AFTERNOON.
ON THE PRESENT FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF ERNESTO WILL PASS OVER
OR JUST WEST OF THE LAKE, WHICH WILL LOCALLY HIGH WAVES OUTSIDE
LEVEE PROTECTION.

...WINDS...
ACROSS MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA...SUSTAINED WINDS OVERNIGHT HAVE BEEN
AVERAGING ABOUT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH.
LESSER WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED ALONG THE SOUTHWEST GULF COAST. THE
HIGHEST WIND GUST SO FAR WAS REPORTED AT FOWEY ROCKS LIGHT AT ABOUT 3
AM EDT WITH 58 MPH. THE HIGHEST WIND GUST OVER LAND SO FAR WAS
REPORTED AT FLAMINGO IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK WITH 47 MPH
AT 527 AM EDT AND AT POMPANO BEACH AIRPORT WITH 40 MPH AT 437 AM
EDT.

SMALL TREES MAY BE UPROOTED AND TREE LIMBS MAY BREAK OFF WITH WIND
GUSTS AS HIGH AS 45 MPH. THIS MAY CAUSE DOWNED POWER LINES AND CAUSE
SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES.

...INLAND FLOODING...
AT 5 AM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED FROM
ONE HALF TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN ACROSS THE METRO AREAS OF DADE, BROWARD
AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES AND FROM A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH ACROSS
METRO COLLIER. MAXIMUM DOPPLER ESTIMATED RAINFALL FROM ERNESTO
RANGES AS HIGH AS 4 INCHES OVER UNINHABITED EVERGLADES AREAS OF
WESTERN BROWARD AND EASTERN COLLIER COUNTIES AND UP TO 6 INCHES ON
CAPE SABLE IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. HIGHEST REPORTED RAINFALL
AMOUNTS BY 5 AM INCLUDED ALMOST AN INCH AND TWO THIRDS AT COOPER CITY
/1.58/ AND DEEP LAKE STRAND IN THE BIG CYPRESS REFUGE /1.66/.

IN SPITE OF THE RELATIVELY LOW RAINFALL TOTALS OVERNIGHT, HEAVY RAINS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE SPIRAL BANDS OF ERNESTO WILL BE MOVING ACROSS
MUCH OF MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS
OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE STILL POSSIBLE ACROSS MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA AS
ERNESTO MOVES NORTH. AN ISOLATED STORM TOTAL AMOUNT TO 10 INCHES IS
ALSO STILL POSSIBLE.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
WIND GUSTS OF 45 TO 50 KNOTS HAVE BEEN RECORDED SEVERAL TIMES
OVERNIGHT AT FOWEY ROCKS LIGHT, 8 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF KEY
BISCAYNE. WIND GUSTS OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE, GREATER THAN 34 KNOTS,
WILL CONTINUE PRIMARILY IN SPIRAL BANDS OF SQUALLS WHICH WILL BE
MOVING THROUGH THE ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTAL WATERS THIS MORNING.
CONDITIONS WILL SLOWLY IMPROVE DURING THE DAY AS ERNESTO MOVES
NORTH. MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN IN SAFE PORT UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS
SUBSIDE LATE TODAY.

...TORNADOES...
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH SPIRAL BANDS OF SQUALLS
THAT WILL BE MOVING ACROSS MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY. THE BEST
CHANCE OF A TORNADO WILL BE OVER THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE REGION THIS
MORNING.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT ON TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO WILL BE ISSUED BY
THE MIAMI WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE AROUND 8 AM EDT.

$$

PFOST
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