[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KCHS 290127
HLSCHS
AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ116>119-138>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>051-
290500-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TROPICAL STORM GASTON LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
927 PM EDT SAT AUG 28 2004

...GASTON NEARLY HURRICANE STRENGTH...
...VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS SUGGESTED IN CHARLESTON COUNTY...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS SPECIFIC ACTIONS BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS OF
INLAND MCINTOSH...COASTAL BRYAN...INLAND LIBERTY...INLAND BRYAN...
COASTAL LIBERTY...COASTAL MCINTOSH...BERKELEY...DORCHESTER...INLAND
COLLETON...ALLENDALE...HAMPTON...CHARLESTON...COASTAL COLLETON...
BEAUFORT...INLAND CHATHAM...INLAND JASPER...COASTAL JASPER AND
COASTAL CHATHAM COUNTIES.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE GEORGIA
COAST. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...IN EXCESS OF
74 MPH...ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM
WATCH MEANS TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS...BETWEEN 39 AND 73 MPH...ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 36 HOURS.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH
MIDNIGHT MONDAY.

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR DORCHESTER AND BERKELEY COUNTIES
SUNDAY.

A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE MOULTRIE SUNDAY.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 8 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM GASTON WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 31.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.1 WEST OR ABOUT 95 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 65 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS LIKELY TO OCCUR TONIGHT.
GASTON IS DRIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE TONIGHT. GASTON IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL ON THE CENTRAL
CHARLESTON COUNTY COAST AS A MINIMAL HURRICANE BETWEEN DOWNTOWN
CHARLESTON AND ISLE OF PALMS EARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
AT 9 PM EDT...THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA...IN COOPERATION WITH
CHARLESTON COUNTY...HAS ASKED FOR A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION OF THE
BARRIER ISLANDS OF CHARLESTON COUNTY AS WELL AS LOW LYING AREAS. THIS
INCLUDES THE LOWER PENINSULA OF DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON. A VOLUNTARY
EVACUATION OF MOBILE HOMES THROUGHOUT CHARLESTON COUNTY IS ALSO
ENCOURAGED. ALL DRAW BRIDGES AND SWING BRIDGES IN CHARLESTON COUNTY
HAVE ALSO BEEN LOCKED DOWN TO ACCOMMODATE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDES TONIGHT AND SUNDAY NIGHT COMBINED WITH STRONG
ONSHORE WINDS...WILL INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF COASTAL FLOODING AND
SIGNIFICANT BEACH EROSION. STORM TIDES OF 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE PREDICTED
LEVELS WILL OCCUR MAINLY ON THE BEACHES NEAR AND TO THE NORTHEAST OF
CHARLESTON...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE IN BAYS AND RIVERS.
OFFSHORE WINDS OVER THE GEORGIA COAST AND SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA
COAST WILL LIMIT THE STORM TIDE SOUTH OF BEAUFORT. HIGH TIDE WILL
OCCUR IN THE CHARLESTON HARBOR AT 749 AM SUNDAY AND AT 906 AM AT
BEAUFORT.

...WIND IMPACTS...
WINDS OVER THE SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA COASTAL WATERS AND ALONG
THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE AND ARE EXPECTED TO
REACH TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE
THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. IF THE CURRENT TRACK HOLDS...HURRICANE FORCE
WINDS AROUND 75 MPH MAY OCCUR ALONG THE CHARLESTON COUNTY COAST...
INCLUDING ISLE OF PALMS...FOLLY BEACH...DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON...MOUNT
PLEASANT AND THE REMAINDER OF SULLIVANS ISLAND.

FARTHER INLAND OVER DORCHESTER AND BERKELEY COUNTIES...WINDS SUNDAY
WILL BE 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH. FOR BEAUFORT AND COASTAL
COLLETON COUNTIES...WINDS WILL BE 25 TO 35 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS
TO 45 MPH...MAINLY ALONG THE BEACHES. WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH CAN BE
EXPECTED ACROSS HAMPTON...ALLENDALE AND JASPER COUNTIES.

BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK...WINDS ALONG THE GEORGIA COAST
WILL REMAIN BELOW TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH. WHILE THE CURRENT TRACK
SHOWS LITTLE WIND EFFECTS FOR COASTAL GEORGIA...A SHIFT IN THE
EXPECTED FORECAST TRACK MAY INCREASE FORECAST WIND SPEEDS ALONG THE
GEORGIA COAST. ALL RESIDENTS UNDER THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH SHOULD
PREPARE FOR TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS.

...SEAS AND RIP CURRENTS...
SEAS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AS GASTON
APPROACHES THE COAST. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. SEAS OF 6 TO
10 FEET CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE COASTAL WATERS LATE TONIGHT INTO
SUNDAY. AS SWELL BREAKS ALONG BEACHES TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...
DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WILL BE LIKELY.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
WITH THE CURRENT INTENSITY FORECAST...FLOODING RAINS WILL BE LIKELY
MAINLY ACROSS THE LOWCOUNTRY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL
TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES MAY OCCUR OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
CLOSE TO THE FORECAST TRACK...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. LESSER
RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE GEORGIA COAST. WITH THE
GROUND STILL FAIRLY SATURATED FROM RECENT RAINS...FLOODING IS LIKELY.
THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FLOOD SITUATION FOR DOWNTOWN
CHARLESTON.

...TORNADOES...
ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT AND ON
SUNDAY...MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON TROPICAL STORM GASTON CAN BE FOUND IN
ADVISORIES ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER...AS WELL AS
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS AND SHORT TERM FORECASTS ISSUED BY THIS
OFFICE.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON AROUND MIDNIGHT.

$$

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