[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMFL 301513
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-301900-

TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1112 AM EDT WED AUG 30 2006

...ERNESTO DOWNGRADED AND ALL TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS CANCELLED...

...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 WATCHES/WARNINGS, STORM INFORMATION,
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION, WINDS, SURGE, INLAND
FLOODING, MARINE IMPACTS, TORNADO IMPACTS.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
ALL TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTH FLORIDA.

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

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 11 AM EDT...TROPICAL DEPRESSION ERNESTO WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
26.0 NORTH, LONGITUDE 81.0 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 50 MILES WEST
NORTHWEST OF MIAMI, 75 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WEST PALM BEACH, OR 50
MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF NAPLES. ERNESTO HAS BEEN MOVING TOWARD THE
NORTH NEAR 8 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH AN
INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED 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 HAVE DECREASED NEAR 40 MPH
PRIMARILY OVER MARINE AREAS. SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE AS
THE CENTER OF ERNESTO REMAINS OVER LAND.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
AS OF 8 AM, FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT ESTIMATED ABOUT 7700
CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER. 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.

SEVERAL TRAFFIC SIGNALS ARE OUT ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA, AND MOTORISTS
ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION AND TREAT INTERSECTIONS WITH NON-
FUNCTIONING TRAFFIC SIGNALS AS FOUR WAY STOPS.

WIND GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE WILL CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON
OVER MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA. PERSONS ARE URGED TO NOT TAKE DOWN STORM
SHUTTERS UNTIL THESE WINDS DECREASE LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY
THIS EVENING.

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
GULF COASTAL WATERS. SURGE VALUES ON BISCAYNE BAY OVERNIGHT WERE
ESTIMATED AT 1 TO 2 FEET.

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 2 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...
OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF SOUTH FLORIDA, SUSTAINED WINDS THIS MORNING
HAVE BEEN AVERAGING IN THE 20 TO 30 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO
50 MPH. THESE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON,
SLOWLY DECREASING FROM SOUTH TO NORTH DURING THE AFTERNOON.

OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF SOUTH FLORIDA, WINDS HAVE BEEN
MAINLY 20 MPH OR LESS, EXCEPT NEAR THE CENTER OF ERNESTO WHERE
SUSTAINED WINDS ARE IN THE 25 TO 30 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS TO
TROPICAL STORM FORCE. AS THE CENTER OF ERNESTO MOVES NORTH OVER
HENDRY AND GLADES COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON, SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO
30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 TO 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED FOR A SHORT
TIME OVER THESE AREAS.

SMALL TREES MAY BE UPROOTED AND TREE LIMBS MAY BREAK OFF WITH WIND
GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH. THIS MAY CAUSE DOWNED POWER LINES AND
CAUSE SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES.

...INLAND FLOODING...
AT 11 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED THE
HEAVIEST RAINFALL TOTALS ACROSS CENTRAL COLLIER COUNTY WHERE BETWEEN
4 AND 6 INCHES OF RAIN, WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 10 INCHES, HAS
FALLEN ACROSS PRIMARILY UNINHABITED AREAS OF EVERGLADES NATIONAL
PARK. FROM ONE HALF TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS THE METRO
AREAS OF DADE, BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES AND AROUND 1 TO 3
INCHES OVER EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE NAPLES AREA MAINLY NEAR
GOLDEN GATE. HIGHEST REPORTED RAINFALL AMOUNTS BY 8 AM INCLUDED 2.26
INCHES AT LONG PINE KEY IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, 1.87 INCHES AT
OCHOPEE IN SOUTH COLLIER, 1.78 AT OASIS RANGER STATION IN SOUTH
COLLIER, 1.65 INCHES AT IMMOKALEE IN NORTH COLLIER COUNTY, 1.58
INCHES AT COOPER CITY IN BROWARD, AND 1.56 INCHES AT THE FORT
LAUDERDALE DIXIE WATER PLANT.

IN SPITE OF THE RELATIVELY LOW RAINFALL TOTALS, HEAVY RAINS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE SPIRAL BANDS OF ERNESTO WILL BE MOVING ACROSS
MUCH OF MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA THIS AFTERNOON. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE STILL POSSIBLE ACROSS MAINLAND SOUTH
FLORIDA AS ERNESTO MOVES NORTH. AN ISOLATED STORM TOTAL AMOUNT OF 8
TO 10 INCHES IS STILL POSSIBLE, MAINLY FROM CENTRAL COLLIER COUNTY
NORTH THROUGH PORTIONS OF HENDRY COUNTY.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 45 KNOTS HAVE BEEN RECORDED THIS MORNING
AT FOWEY ROCKS LIGHT, VIRGINIA KEY AND LAKE WORTH PIER. 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 WATERS THIS AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL SLOWLY IMPROVE DURING
THE LATE AFTERNOON AS ERNESTO MOVES NORTH. MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN
IN SAFE PORT UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE LATE TODAY.

OVER LAKE OKEECHOBEE, SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO
BETWEEN 25 TO 30 KNOTS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED THIS MORNING. WIND GUSTS
TO 35 TO 40 KNOTS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE LAKE THIS AFTERNOON AS THE
CENTER OF ERNESTO MOVES NEAR OR RIGHT OVERHEAD. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE
TONIGHT, AND MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN IN SAFE PORT UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS
SUBSIDE.

WITH ONSHORE FLOW THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE COLLIER COUNTY COAST,
THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE BEACHES FROM
MARCO ISLAND NORTHWARD.

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

...NEXT UPDATE...
THIS WILL BE THE FINAL UPDATE.

$$

MOLLEDA
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