[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KCHS 290909
HLSCHS
AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ116>119-138>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>051-
291500-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TROPICAL STORM GASTON LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
503 AM EDT SUN AUG 29 2004

...GASTON NEARING HURRICANE STRENGTH...

...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 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE SOUTH CAROLINA
COAST. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...IN EXCESS OF
74 MPH...ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE GEORGIA COAST.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA
THROUGH MIDNIGHT MONDAY...BUT IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR
HAMPTON...ALLENDALE AND JASPER COUNTIES.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR BERKELEY AND
DORCHESTER COUNTIES THROUGH MIDNIGHT MONDAY.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM GASTON WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 32.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.5 WEST OR ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF CHARLESTON. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS LIKELY TO OCCUR. GASTON IS MOVING
TO THE NORTH AT 7 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE
NEXT FEW HOURS. GASTON IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL ON THE CHARLESTON
COUNTY COAST AS A MINIMAL HURRICANE NEAR BULLS BAY AROUND 900 AM.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
AT 9 PM EDT SATURDAY...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 THIS MORNING 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 TODAY...AT 906 AM AT
BEAUFORT AND AT 807 AM IN BULLS BAY.

...WIND IMPACTS...
WINDS OVER THE SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA COASTAL WATERS AND ALONG
THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST ARE ALREADY NEAR OR ABOVE TROPICAL STORM
STRENGTH. IF THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK HOLDS...HURRICANE FORCE WINDS
AROUND 75 MPH MAY OCCUR BETWEEN 7 AM AND 11 AM ALONG THE CHARLESTON
COUNTY COAST... INCLUDING THE ISLE OF PALMS...FOLLY BEACH... DOWNTOWN
CHARLESTON...MOUNT PLEASANT...SULLIVANS ISLAND AND AROUND BULLS BAY.

FARTHER INLAND OVER DORCHESTER AND BERKELEY COUNTIES...WINDS TODAY
WILL BE 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH. WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH
A FEW GUSTS TO 40 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS BEAUFORT AND COLLETON
COUNTIES.

...SEAS AND RIP CURRENTS...
SEAS WILL BE ROUGH TODAY AS GASTON APPROACHES THE COAST. SMALL CRAFT
SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. SEAS OF 6 TO 15 FEET CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE
SOUTH CAROLINA COASTAL WATERS TODAY. AS SWELL BREAKS ALONG BEACHES
TODAY... DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WILL BE LIKELY.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
FLOODING RAINS WILL BE LIKELY MAINLY ACROSS THE LOWCOUNTRY OF SOUTH
CAROLINA TODAY. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES MAY OCCUR
OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA CLOSE TO THE FORECAST TRACK...WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. 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 TODAY 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 800 AM.

$$
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