[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KJAX 042143
HLSJAX
FLZ020>025-030>033-035>038-040-GAZ154-166-050330-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
543 PM EDT SAT SEP 4 2004

...TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ARE EXTENDED NORTHWARD TO ALTAMAHA
SOUND GEORGIA...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES...IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA...NASSAU...DUVAL...ST.
JOHNS...FLAGLER...BAKER...CLAY...PUTNAM...MARION...HAMILTON...
COLUMBIA...SUWANNEE...UNION...BRADFORD...ALACHUA AND GILCHRIST. IN
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA...CAMDEN AND GLYNN.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM ALTAMAHA SOUND
GEORGIA SOUTHWARD TO FLAGLER BEACH FLORIDA...
...A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FERNANDINA BEACH FLORIDA
TO FLAGLER BEACH FLORIDA...
...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR CLAY...
MARION...PUTNAM...UNION...BRADFORD...ALACHUA AND GILCHRIST COUNTIES
OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA...
...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR BAKER...
HAMILTON...COLUMBIA...AND SUWANNEE COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA...
...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING...

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 PM EDT...2100Z...THE LARGE EYE OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED
BY RADAR AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS NEAR LATITUDE 26.9 NORTH...
LONGITUDE  79.3 WEST OR ABOUT 250 MILES...SOUTHEAST OF JACKSONVILLE
FLORIDA.

FRANCES HAS BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY FOR THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS BUT
THE HURRICANE SHOULD BEGIN TO MOVE BETWEEN THE WEST AND
WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 5 MPH...7 KM/HR SOON. ON THIS TRACK...THE
LARGE EYE OF FRANCES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FLORIDA EAST COAST TONIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH...165 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE BEFORE LANDFALL.

THE OUTER RAINSHIELD OF HURRICANE FRANCES WILL BEGIN MOVING THROUGH
THE FLAGLER...ST. JOHNS...AND PUTNAM COUNTY AREAS THIS EVENING AND
SPREAD ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA TONIGHT AND SUNDAY.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
GENERAL AREA INFORMATION...
PREPARATIONS FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS IN THE WARNING AREAS
SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED THEIR PREPARATIONS. INTERESTS IN NORMALLY FLOOD
PRONE AREAS ARE URGED TO TAKE ACTIONS TO SECURE LIFE AND PROPERTY
PRIOR THE ONSET OF HEAVY RAINFALL.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDES OF 1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE THE HEIGHT OF A NORMAL TIDE ARE POSSIBLE
TONIGHT AND 2 TO 3 FEET ABOV NORMAL ON SUNDAY. IN COMBINATION WITH
POSSIBLE HEAVY RAINFALLL...THIS MAY RESULT IN SOME LOCALIZED MINOR
COASTAL FLOODING NEAR TIMES OF HIGH TIDES TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. ANY
TRACK DEVIATION TO THE NORTH MAY RESULT IN HIGHER TIDES LOCALLY.

...WIND IMPACTS...
TONIGHT...
WINDS WILL CONTINUE INCREASING ACROSS THE COASTAL AREAS OF NORTHEAST
FLORIDA AS NORTHEAST FLORIDA GRADUALLY COMES UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF
THE HURRICANE CIRCULATION.

WINDS ALONG THE NASSAU AND DUVAL COUNTY COASTAL AREAS WILL INCREASE
TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 45 MPH. FOR ST JOHNS AND
FLAGLER COUNTY COASTAL AREAS SUSTAINED WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE
TO 35 TO 45 MPH...WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 55 MPH...BY MORNING.
WINDS IN PUTNAM AND MARION COUNTIES WILL OCCASIONALLY INCREASE TO 30
TO 40 MPH BY MORNING.

SUNDAY...
WINDS IN THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA ARE EXPECTED TO REACH
30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH. THE HIGHEST WINDS WILL LIKELY
BE IN MARION COUNTY AND ALONG THE ST. JOHNS RIVER.

ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COASTAL AREAS OF NASSAU AND DUVAL COUNTIES
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 55 MPH ARE
EXPECTED. FOR ST JOHNS AND FLAGLER COUNTY COASTAL AREAS SUSTAINED
WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO NEAR 60 MPH ARE
EXPECTED.

ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST OF CAMDEN AND GLYNN COUNTIES SUSTAINED
WINDS REACHING MINIMAL TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH
OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE.

...SEAS AND RIP CURRENTS...
BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK...WINDS OVER THE FLORIDA COASTAL
WATERS WILL INCREASE TO 40 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 70 MPH TONIGHT
INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. DUE TO THE LONG PERIOD SWELL...SEAS WILL INCREASE
TO NEAR 20 FEET BY SUNDAY. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD STAY IN PORT. THE
GEORGIA COASTAL WATERS WILL SEE WINDS INCREASING TO 30 TO 40 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS.

REGARDLESS OF THE EXACT PATH OF THE STORM...LONG PERIOD SWELLS WILL
CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE COAST THROUGH THE REST OF THE HOLIDAY
WEEKEND...CONTINUING A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
HURRICANE FRANCES POSES A SIGNIFICANT THREAT OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
AS IT MOVES INLAND. DEPENDING UPON THE SPEED OF MOVEMENT...SOME AREAS
ALONG AND JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE PATH COULD SEE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF
8 TO 12 INCHES...WITH AMOUNTS TAPERING OFF FURTHER FROM THE TRACK.
HEAVY RAINFALL COULD BEGIN AFFECTING PORTIONS OF NORTH FLORIDA AND
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT.

BASED ON THE PREDICTED TRACK OF FRANCES ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY...
RAINFALL TOTALS OVER SOUTHEAST GEORGIA ARE EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 2 TO
4 INCHES. HOWEVER...RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD BE CONSIDERABLY HIGHER IF
THE STORM WERE TO MOVE CLOSER TO THE REGION.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
THERE WILL BE A STRONG POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES AS THE STORM MOVES BY
THE AREA THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND. REMEMBER EVEN A WEAKENING TROPICAL
STORM CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING TORNADOES. REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE
WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN JACKSONVILLE WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1130 PM EDT.

$$

LETRO
This weather bulletin was brought to you by:
www.nashvilleweather.net