[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KCHS 291330
HLSCHS
AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ116>119-138>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>051-
291600-

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

...CENTER OF GASTON COMING ASHORE NEAR BULLS BAY...
...STRONG RAIN BANDS POUNDING THE CHARLESTON AREA...

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A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE GEORGIA COAST.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

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

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 9 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM GASTON WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 32.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.5 WEST OR ABOUT 30 MILES EAST OF
CHARLESTON. THIS IS VERY NEAR BULLS BAY.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE
NEAR 70 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GASTON IS MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 7 MPH
AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
ALL DRAW BRIDGES AND SWING BRIDGES IN CHARLESTON COUNTY HAVE BEEN
LOCKED DOWN TO ACCOMMODATE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC.  DRIVING ON AREA ROADS
IS VERY DANGEROUS AS TREES... LIMBS...AND POWERLINES ARE DOWN ACROSS
THE AREA. ALL RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN INDOORS UNTIL THE STORM PASSES
LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

...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 ESPECIALLY NORTH OF CHARLESTON HARBOR. AT
820 AM...THE TIDE GAGE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CAPERS ISLAND WAS
REPORTING STORM TIDE 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL.  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 OCCURRED IN THE CHARLESTON HARBOR AT 749 AM...807 IN BULLS
BAY...AND AT 906 AM AT BEAUFORT.

...WIND IMPACTS...
WIND REPORTS ALONG THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST FROM CHARLESTON HARBOR UP
TO MCCLELLANVILLE ARE REPORTING WIND GUSTS OF 60 TO 70 MPH.  SOME
GUSTS AS HIGH AS 80 MPH MAY OCCUR OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS BETWEEN
9 AM AND NOON FROM THE ISLE OF PALMS...UP THROUGH AWENDAW...AND INTO
MCCLELLANVILLE.  LATER THIS MORNING...THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL PUSH
NORTH INTO THE FRANCIS MARION FOREST.

FARTHER INLAND IN CHARLESTON COUNTY WEST OF THE COOPER RIVER...AS
WELL AS OVER DORCHESTER AND BERKELEY COUNTIES...SUSTAINED TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH ARE LIKELY FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF
HOURS WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 60 MPH. A FEW GUSTS TO 40 MPH CAN BE
EXPECTED ACROSS BEAUFORT AND COLLETON COUNTIES.

TREES...LIMBS...AND POWERLINES HAVE BEEN REPORTED DOWN IN SECTIONS OF
SUMMERVILLE...MOUNT PLEASANT...AND ISLE OF PALMS.  POWER OUTAGES ARE
BEING REPORTED ACROSS MANY SECTIONS OF DORCHESTER...CHARLESTON...AND
BERKELEY COUNTIES.

...SEAS AND RIP CURRENTS...
SEAS WILL BE ROUGH THIS MORNING 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. AS SWELL BREAKS ALONG BEACHES
THIS MORNING...DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WILL BE LIKELY.  STAY OFF THE
BEACHES.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
FLOODING RAINS WILL BE LIKELY MAINLY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE
LOWCOUNTRY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THIS MORNING.  RADAR ESTIMATES THAT 4 TO
8 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS PORTIONS OF COASTAL CHARLESTON
COUNTY SINCE EARLY THIS MORNING.  STREET FLOODING IS BEING REPORTED
ACROSS MANY SECTIONS OF CHARLESTON... BERKELEY...AND DORCHESTER
COUNTIES.  FLOODING IS BEING REPORTED IN DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON AS
NEARLY 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS.
WITH MORE INTENSE RAINFALL EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF
HOURS...EXPECT ADDITIONAL RAIN TOTALS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES...WITH SOME
ADDITIONAL TOTALS AS HIGH AS 5 INCHES.  FLOODING WILL REMAIN A
PROBLEM THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS.

THROUGH THE LATE MORNING HOURS...THE HEAVIEST RAIN BANDS WILL BE
AFFECTING MOUNT PLEASANT...DANIEL ISLAND...NORTH
CHARLESTON...DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON...GOOSE CREEK...AND MOST OF BERKELEY
COUNTY.

...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 NOON.

$$
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