[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMHX 010107
HLSMHX

AMZ130-135-150-152-154-156-158-NCZ029-044>047-079>081-090>095-098-103
-104-010330-

TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
900 PM EDT THU AUG 31 2006

...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM CURRITUCK BEACH LIGHT
SOUTH...
...HURRICANE WATCH IN EFFECT FOR CAPE LOOKOUT SOUTH...

...NEW INFORMATION...
STORM AND SURGE INFORMATION HAS BEEN UPDATED FOR DARE AND HYDE
COUNTIES. SURGE UPDATED TO INCLUDE 1 TO 2 FOOT SURGE FOR COASTAL
SECTIONS OF OUTER BANKS DARE AND HYDE COUNTIES...AND SOUNDSIDE
SOUTHERN HYDE COUNTY. A TORNADO WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT.

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR RESIDENTS OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA...

ONSLOW...CARTERET...HYDE...DARE...CRAVEN...BEAUFORT...TYRRELL...
WASHINGTON...PAMLICO...MARTIN...PITT...LENOIR...GREENE...JONES...AND
DUPLIN.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH OF CURRITUCK BEACH
LIGHT.  A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CAPE LOOKOUT SOUTH.
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNING AREA FOR THE
REMAINDER OF TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING.  A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS
THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA OVERNIGHT.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 800 PM EDT THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 33.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 78.3 WEST...OR ABOUT 75 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA.

ERNESTO IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 17 MPH. ON THIS
TRACK THE CENTER OF ERNESTO WILL BE NEAR THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST COAST
OF THE NORTH CAROLINA NEAR CAPE FEAR AROUND MIDNIGHT. ERNESTO WILL
MOVE ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAINS THOUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON
FRIDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE 70 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.  ERNESTO
COULD STRENGTHEN A LITTLE MORE AND REACH THE COAST AS A MINIMAL
HURRICANE.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
CLOSELY MONITOR THE FORECAST FOR ERNESTO. PEOPLE ARE URGED TO
PREPARE FOR THE STORM. THOSE IN LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS
SHOULD CONSIDER MOVING TO HIGHER GROUND AS ERNESTO MOVES THROUGH.

MONITOR NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TV AND RADIO IN CASE
FLASH FLOOD OR TORNADO WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.

ALL PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE COMPLETED.

FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY...A MANDATORY EVACUATION HAS BEEN ORDERED FOR
WHICHARDS BEACH ROAD AND LOW LYING AREAS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY
INCLUDING FLOOD PRONE AREAS IN THE CITY OF WASHINGTON. ONE SHELTER
WILL BE OPEN IN WASHINGTON AT NEW PS JONES MIDDLE SCHOOL AT 4105
NORTH MARKET STREET EXTENSION.

FOR HYDE COUNTY...THE OCRACOKE CONTROL GROUP IS RECOMMENDING
SHELTERING IN PLACE.

FOR CARTERET COUNTY...ONE SHELTER IS OPEN IN NEWPORT AT NEWPORT
MIDDLE SCHOOL.

FOR ONSLOW COUNTY...TWO SHELTERS ARE OPEN IN JACKSONVILLE. ONE AT
DIXON MIDDLE SCHOOL AT DIXON SCHOOL ROAD...AND ONE AT JACKSONVILLE
MIDDLE SCHOOL AT 315 COMMONS DRIVE SOUTH. THE EMERGENCY PET SHELTER
IS CO-LOCATED WITH THE RED CROSS SHELTER AT JACKSONVILLE COMMONS
MIDDLE SCHOOL.


...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDE LEVELS ALONG THE CARTERET AND ONSLOW COUNTY COAST LINE ARE 1/2
TO 1 FOOT ABOVE NORMAL. IN GENERAL A 3 TO 5 FOOT STORM SURGE IS
EXPECTED. THE HIGHEST STORM SURGE WILL BE AROUND 1 AM EARLY FRIDAY
MORNING...NEAR THE NORMAL TIME OF HIGH TIDE.  STORM SURGES OF 4 TO 5
FEET ARE POSSIBLE IN THE NEUSE AND PAMLICO RIVERS AS FAR INLAND AS
NEW BERN AND WASHINGTON.  IN ONSLOW COUNTY A STORM SURGE OF 5 FEET
IS EXPECTED ON TOPSAIL ISLAND.  OTHER AREAS THAT COULD SEE WATER
LEVELS 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL INCLUDING THE PORTION OF DOWNEAST
CARTERET COUNTY THAT IS ADJACENT TO THE NEUSE RIVER AND EXTREME
EASTERN PAMLICO COUNTY. SURGES 1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ARE EXPECTED
ELSEWHERE IN THE WARNING AREA OVERNIGHT ALONG COASTAL SECTIONS OF
THE OUTER BANKS DARE AND HYDE COUNTIES...AND SOUNDSIDE SOUTHERN HYDE
COUNTY.

...WIND IMPACTS...
WINDS HAVE INCREASED ACROSS THE AREA. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND
GUSTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM 40 TO 50 MPH AT CAPE LOOKOUT DURING
THE PAST HOUR. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS WILL INCREASE TO 30 TO 40 MPH
WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT CONTINUING INTO
FRIDAY MORNING. THIS INCLUDES INLAND COUNTIES ALONG AND EAST OF THE
PROJECTED PATH OF ERNESTO...WHERE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS
HAVE BEEN ISSUED.

...FLOODING IMPACTS...
TWO TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS COASTAL AND ADJACENT
COASTAL COUNTIES COUNTIES FROM ONSLOW TO SOUTHERN DARE DARE COUNTIES
WITH LOCALIZED FLOODING REPORTED. FOUR TO SEVEN INCHES STORM TOTAL
RAINFALL IS LIKELY ACROSS EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH FRIDAY
MORNING. LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE HEAVIEST RAIN
WILL OCCUR TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS
IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM FRIDAY MORNING. ISOLATED
TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. A TORNADO WAS
REPORTED EARLIER THIS EVENING AT STACY IN DOWNEAST CARTERET COUNTY.

...RIP CURRENT IMPACTS...
THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WILL BE HIGH THROUGH FRIDAY. PEOPLE ARE
URGED TO STAY OUT OF THE WATER UNTIL ERNESTO HAS MOVED OUT OF THE
AREA...AND THE SEAS HAVE RETURNED TO A SAFE LEVEL.

...HIGH SURF/BEACH EROSION IMPACTS...
WAVES OF 7 TO 9 FEET WILL INCREASE TO 10 TO 12 FEET AFTER MIDNIGHT
ALONG THE SOUTH FACING BEACHES...THEN CONTINUE FOR THE ENTIRE COAST
ON FRIDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN ROUGH SURF AND MINOR TO MODERATE
BEACH EROSION TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT UPDATE WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1130 PM EDT.

$$

COLE















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