[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KTAE 120934
HLSTLH
FLZ007>019-026>029-034-GMZ750-755-770-775-121330-

TROPICAL STORM BONNIE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
535 AM EDT THU AUG 12 2004

...BONNIE REMAINS DISORGANIZED AND THE HURRICANE WARNING HAS
NOW BEEN BEEN DOWNGRADED TO A TROPICAL STORM WARNING...

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
AND BIG BEND COAST FROM DESTIN EAST TO THE MOUTH OF THE SUWANNEE
RIVER...

...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE
INLAND COUNTIES OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS ACROSS THE
FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE WHICH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:
WALTON...HOLMES...WASHINGTON...BAY...JACKSON...CALHOUN...GULF...
GADSDEN...LIBERTY...FRANKLIN...LEON...WAKULLA...JEFFERSON...
MADISON...TAYLOR...DIXIE AND LAFAYETTE.

...WATCH AND WARNING INFORMATION...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT ALONG THE FLORIDA
GULF COAST FROM DESTIN...EAST TO THE MOUTH OF THE SUWANNEE RIVER.
SINCE BONNIE HAS WEAKENED AND IS NOT EXPECTED TO REGAIN ITS LOST
STRENGTH BEFORE LANDFALL...ALL HURRICANE WARNINGS HAVE BEEN
DOWNGRADED TO TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS. TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS WILL ENTER THE COASTAL WATERS EARLY THIS MORNING...AND
THEN WILL REACH COASTAL SECTIONS OF THE EASTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE BY
EARLY AFTERNOON. THESE WINDS WILL SPREAD FURTHER INLAND THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON AS BONNIE ACCELERATES NORTHEASTWARD.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 4 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM BONNIE WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 28.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 87.5 WEST OR ABOUT 175 MILES
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA. BONNIE IS MOVING TOWARD THE
NORTHEAST NEAR 16 MPH AND A GRADUAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS
EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THE CENTER OF BONNIE IS NOW
EXPECTED TO REACH THE GULF COAST OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AROUND
NOON TIME...WITH A LANDFALL EXPECTED NEAR PANAMA CITY BEACH. THE
STORM WILL THEN MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE PANHANDLE INTO SOUTHWEST
AND SOUTH-CENTRAL GEORGIA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 50 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS...AND
LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED PRIOR TO LANDFALL.

...RAINFALL AND FLOOD POTENTIAL INFORMATION...
A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND
THROUGH MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH BONNIE IS EXPECTED TO
ACCELERATE AND MOVE QUICKLY THROUGH THE REGION...IT WILL STILL HAVE
TIME TO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...WHICH WILL BE AIDED BY
CONVECTION FROM THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT. ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY
RAINFALL WILL EXACERBATE THE FLOODING POTENTIAL...AS SATURATED GROUND
CONDITIONS EXIST IN MANY AREAS DUE TO RECENT HEAVY RAINS. AS BONNIE
MOVES FROM THE PANHANDLE INTO SOUTH-CENTRAL GEORGIA...WIDESPREAD 4 TO
6 INCH RAINFALL TOTALS WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED. THIS
COULD CAUSE WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE
AREAS.

...WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL ENTER THE COASTAL WATERS EARLY THIS
MORNING...AND THEN ARE EXPECTED TO REACH COASTAL SECTIONS OF THE
EASTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE BY EARLY AFTERNOON. THESE WINDS WILL SPREAD
FURTHER INLAND THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS BONNIE ACCELERATES
NORTHEASTWARD. ALTHOUGH SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE NOT
EXPECTED FOR EXTREME SOUTHEAST ALABAMA OR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH
CENTRAL GEORGIA...GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE ARE CERTAINLY
POSSIBLE.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
WITH BONNIE NOW EXPECTED TO BE WEAKER AT LANDFALL...A REDUCED STORM
SURGE OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS EXPECTED ALONG THE
GULF COAST NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. A
STORM SURGE OF 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IS STILL POSSIBLE IN THE
BAYS...ESPECIALLY IN AND AROUND PANAMA CITY IN EAST BAY...ST. JOSEPH
BAY BETWEEN PORT ST. JOE AND THE ST. JOSEPH PENINSULA...AND IN
APALACHICOLA BAY BETWEEN APALACHICOLA AND ST. GEORGE ISLAND. ALSO
ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDES WILL OCCUR NEAR THE TIME OF LANDFALL.

THE LOCAL TIDES FOR THURSDAY ARE AS FOLLOWS.

SAINT MARKS RIVER ENTRANCE...
HIGH TIDE AT 1221 PM...LOW TIDES AT 605 AM AND 751 PM.

APALACHICOLA...
HIGH TIDE AT 1203 PM...LOW TIDES AT 807 PM AND 949 PM.

SAINT ANDREW BAY AT PANAMA CITY...
HIGH TIDE AT 751 AM...LOW TIDE AT 710 PM.

SEAS OVER THE GULF COASTAL WATERS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 10 TO
12 FEET TODAY...ESPECIALLY TO THE WEST OF APALACHICOLA. THIS WILL
RESULT IN VERY ROUGH SURF ALONG THE PANHANDLE AND WESTERN FLORIDA BIG
BEND COAST...AND SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT.

...RIP CURRENTS...
THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY ALONG THE FLORIDA BIG BEND
AND PANHANDLE BEACHES.

WIND...WAVE...AND TIDAL CONDITIONS SUPPORT DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS
TODAY. RIP CURRENTS ARE LIFE THREATENING TO ANYONE ENTERING THE
WATER.

ALWAYS HEED THE ADVICE OF THE BEACH PATROL AND LOCAL OFFICIALS. BE
ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS NEAR PIERS...JETTIES...AND UNGUARDED BEACHES. A
RIP CURRENT IS A STRONG NARROW CURRENT OF WATER FLOWING FROM THE
BEACH THROUGH THE SURF ZONE. IT CAN RAPIDLY CARRY A SWIMMER INTO
DEEPER WATER. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT...WADE SIDEWAYS
PARALLEL TO THE BEACH UNTIL YOU ARE OUT OF ITS PULL.

THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY 9 AM EDT (8 AM CDT).

$$

GOULD

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