[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTCA82 TJSJ 171915
HLSSJU
PRZ001>013-VIZ001-002-AMZ710>750-172215-

BULLETIN-
HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
315 PM AST FRI AUG 17 2007

...DEAN STRENGTHENS TO A MAJOR HURRICANE WITH 125 MPH WINDS...
...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN
ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO...

...NEW INFORMATION...
HURRICANE DEAN HAS STRENGTHENED TO A CATEGORY 3...MAJOR HURRICANE
WITH 125 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS.

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS AND
VISITORS IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN
ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO...THE CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS AND THE MONA
PASSAGE.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 145 PM AST...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DEAN WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 14.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 63.6 WEST...OR ABOUT 215 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHEAST OF ST CROIX...260 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF ST THOMAS...300
MILES SOUTHEAST OF SAN JUAN...AND 300 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PONCE. DEAN
WAS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 22 MPH...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED
TO CONTINUE. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 125
MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DEAN IS A MAJOR CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON
THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS
FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED WITHIN 24 HOURS OR LESS. RESIDENTS OF THE U.S. VIRGIN
ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO SHOULD HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED PREPARATIONS
FOR HURRICANE DEAN.

THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DEAN IS STILL FORECAST TO PASS SOUTH OF ST
CROIX LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING...AND THEN SOUTH OF
PUERTO RICO TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. HOWEVER...ALL LOCAL
INTERESTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS CLOSELY...AS ANY DEVIATION
TO THE NORTH OR A CONTINUED INCREASE IN INTENSITY...COULD RESULT IN
STRONGER WINDS AND INCREASED RAINFALL ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA.

THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPACT MARINE INTERESTS ACROSS
THE LOCAL CARIBBEAN...WITH HIGH SEAS EXPECTED ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN
COASTAL WATERS AND PASSAGES...AND VERY HIGH SURF ALONG THE CARIBBEAN
COASTS. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN AND
ARE URGED TO NOT VENTURE FAR FROM PORT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS COULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO BLOW DOWN
SOME TREES AND POWER LINES...ESPECIALLY OVER ST CROIX AND THE SOUTH
HALF OF PUERTO RICO. MARINERS IN THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA
SHOULD HAVE ALREADY SECURED THEIR VESSELS OR MOVED THEM TO SAFE
HARBOR ALONG THE LOCAL CARIBBEAN WATERS.

...WINDS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS IN THE 39 TO 45 MPH...34 TO 40 KNOT...
RANGE WERE ALREADY AFFECTING THE CARIBBEAN WATERS SOUTHEAST OF ST
CROIX...AND WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD RAPIDLY WESTWARD TO THE
CARIBBEAN WATERS SOUTH OF PUERTO RICO THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

FOR THE LAND AREAS OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO
OCCASIONAL WIND GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE ARE POSSIBLE...
ESPECIALLY WITH PASSING SQUALLS...AND ACROSS HIGHER TERRAIN.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS SHOULD START TO DIMINISH OVERNIGHT ACROSS
ST CROIX AND THE CARIBBEAN SEA TO ITS SOUTH...AND BY NOON ON
SATURDAY ACROSS PUERTO RICO AND THE REMAINING CARIBBEAN COASTAL
WATERS.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
SEAS WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD RAPIDLY ACROSS THE LOCAL CARIBBEAN
WATERS DURING THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...REACHING
14 TO 18 FEET ACROSS THE LOCAL CARIBBEAN WATERS AND UP TO 10 FEET
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN
PORT ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH SATURDAY. ISOLATED WATERSPOUTS ARE
POSSIBLE MAINLY ALONG THE LOCAL CARIBBEAN WATERS IN ASSOCIATION WITH
RAINBANDS AND SQUALLS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...AND
COULD MOVE ASHORE ALONG THE COASTS.

...INLAND FLOODING...
FLASH FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY
EVENING. OUTER RAINBANDS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
NORTHWESTERN FRINGES OF HURRICANE DEAN HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO AFFECT
THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND VIEQUES AND CULEBRA...AND WILL SPREAD
ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF PUERTO RICO THIS EVENING AND THEN ACROSS
THE REMAINDER OF PUERTO RICO TONIGHT. RAINFALL TOTALS OF ONE TO TWO
INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS OF UP TO FIVE INCHES POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY
ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN.

...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE...
ALTHOUGH NO SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE IS EXPECTED WITH DEAN...WAVE
RUN-UP ALONG THE SOUTH AND EAST COASTS OF THE LOCAL ISLANDS SHOULD
RESULT IN TIDES OF ONE TO TWO FOOT ABOVE PREDICTED. THE NEXT HIGH
TIDE AT ST CROIX WILL OCCUR AT 813 PM TONIGHT AND THE NEXT HIGH TIDE
FOR PLAYA DE PONCE WILL OCCUR AT 715 PM.

...HIGH SURF AND COASTAL FLOODING...
HIGH WAVES CREATED FROM THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS THAT WILL
MOVE THROUGH THE AREA HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO AFFECT THE LOCAL COAST
LINES AND WILL INCREASE...WITH WAVES OF 6 TO 8 FEET ALONG THE EAST
AND SOUTH COASTS. HOWEVER...LARGE HURRICANE SWELLS WILL CONTINUE TO
INVADE THE AREA WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT...AND PRODUCE VERY LARGE
BREAKING WAVES OF 10 TO 18 FEET OVERNIGHT ALONG THE LOCAL CARIBBEAN
REEFS AND COASTLINES. THESE LARGE BREAKING WAVES WILL GENERATE VERY
STRONG AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WITHIN THE SURF ZONE. PERSONS
ALONG THE EAST AND SOUTH EXPOSED COASTAL AREAS SHOULD REMAIN OUT OF
THIS DANGEROUS SURF.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 615 PM AST THIS
EVENING BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN SAN JUAN
PUERTO RICO.

$$

BCS

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