[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KMFL 042155
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-050430-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
555 PM EDT SAT SEP 4 2004

...EYE WALL BRUSHING NORTHEAST PALM BEACH COAST...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO PERSONS IN PALM BEACH...BROWARD...MIAMI-DADE...
COLLIER...HENDRY...GLADES AND MAINLAND MONROE COUNTIES.

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST AND LAKE
OKEECHOBEE...INCLUDING METRO PALM BEACH...BROWARD AND MIAMI-DADE.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL INLAND SOUTH FLORIDA
COUNTIES.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA GULF COAST
FROM BONITA BEACH SOUTHWARD TO SOUTH OF FLORIDA CITY.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL SOUTH FLORIDA COUNTIES.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.9
NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.3 WEST. THIS LOCATION IS ABOUT 50 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF
WEST PALM BEACH. FRANCES HAS BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY DURING THE PAST SEVERAL
HOURS BUT IS EXPECTED TO RESUME A WEST NORTHWEST TRACK AT 5 MPH. FRANCES IS
EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE FLORIDA EAST COAST TONIGHT. FRANCES IS A STRONG
CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE BEFORE LANDFALL.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
WINDS NEAR OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE ALONG WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN WILL LIKELY
AFFECT THE NORTHEAST PALM BEACH COUNTY THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT. ACROSS
THE REMAINDER OF PALM BEACH AND OVER BROWARD AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES...
WINDS WILL BE OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE. EVACUATION ORDERS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA
COUNTIES REMAIN IN EFFECT. A CURFEW WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR HENDRY AND GLADES
COUNTIES FROM 8 PM TONIGHT TO 7 AM SUNDAY.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
IT NOW APPEARS THAT THE VERY LARGE CENTER OF FRANCES WILL SLOWLY CROSS THE EAST
COAST OF FLORIDA FROM AROUND JUPITER INLET NORTHWARD. WINDS ALONG THE EAST COAST
OF SOUTH FLORIDA ARE ALREADY NORTH TO NORTHWEST IN PALM BEACH COUNTY AND
NORTHWEST TO WEST IN BROWARD AND MIAMI-DADE. THIS MEANS THAT THE WINDS AFFECTING
THE METRO SOUTHEAST COAST ARE PARALLEL TO SHORE OR OFFSHORE AND WILL REMAIN THAT
WAY AS FRANCES COMES ONSHORE. THUS THE THREAT FOR ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT STORM
SURGE ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST OF SOUTH FLORIDA HAS PASSED.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE IS ALREADY BEING AFFECTED BY THE STRONG WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH
FRANCES. AT 5 PM EDT WINDS ACROSS THE LAKE WERE AROUND 35 TO 40 MPH SUSTAINED
WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 70 MPH. CONSEQUENTLY THE LAKE AT 5 PM WAS ABOUT 15.1 FEET
ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL ON THE SOUTH END AND WAS AROUND 11.1 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA
LEVEL ON THE NORTH END...A DIFFERENCE OF ABOUT 4 FEET. AS FRANCES CONTINUES TO
MOVE ONSHORE...THE NORTHERLY WINDS WILL PUSH THE WATER AS HIGH AS 18 TO 20 FEET
ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL THIS EVENING ON THE LAKE SIDE OF THE DIKE IN GLADES...
HENDRY...AND WESTERN PALM BEACH COUNTIES. THIS WOULD AFFECT AREAS FROM
CLEWISTON ALL THE WAY AROUND TO THE TOWN OF OKEECHOBEE INCLUDING MOORE HAVEN...
CLEWISTON...SOUTH BAY...BELLE GLADE...PAHOKEE AND PORT MAYACA. THE HOOVER DIKE
PROTECTS INHABITED AREAS TO AT LEAST 30 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL. RITTA...
KREAMER AND TORRY ISLANDS WOULD BE FLOODED AT THESE LEVELS INCLUDING SOME
CAMPGROUNDS AND ROADS. THE HIGHEST WATER WILL BE ALONG THE SOUTH END OF THE
LAKE...FROM CLEWISTON TO BELLE GLADE...THIS EVENING BUT WILL MOVE TO THE EASTERN
SHORE AS THE WIND BACKS AROUND TO THE WEST BY SUNDAY MORNING AND THEN FINALLY
AROUND TO THE NORTH END OF THE LAKE BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS THE WIND BACKS AROUND
TO THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH.

FOR THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COAST...MAXIMUM STORM TIDE IS EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 4
FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL ALONG THE TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS OF MAINLAND MONROE
COUNTY AND THE CHOKOLOSKEE AND EVERGLADES CITY AREAS OF COLLIER COUNTY DURING
THE PREDAWN HOURS SUNDAY. THIS COULD FLOOD PARTS OF STATE ROAD 29 BETWEEN
TAMIAMI TRAIL AND CHOKOLOSKEE. FROM MARCO ISLAND NORTH TO NAPLES AND BONITA
BEACH THE MAXIMUM STORM TIDE IS EXPECTED TO BE FROM 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA
LEVEL. HIGH TIDE FOR THE NAPLES AREA WILL BE AROUND 430 AM SUNDAY.

...WIND IMPACTS...
AT 5 PM...WIND GUSTS AT PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 63 MPH. AT
FOWEY ROCKS LIGHT...JUST SOUTH OF KEY BISCAYNE...A WIND GUST OF 76 MPH WAS
OBSERVED AT 5 PM. OVER NORTHEAST PALM BEACH COUNTY...WINDS WILL BE NEAR OR
ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...74 MPH...THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT.

WINDS ACROSS MOST OF THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA METRO AREAS ARE RANGING
FROM 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 55 MPH. SUSTAINED TROPICAL FORCE WINDS
ABOVE 40 MPH WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA METRO AREAS THIS
AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...PARTICULARLY IN SQUALLS. ACCORDING
TO DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES WINDS OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE ARE OCCURRING IN
EASTERN PORTIONS OF HENDRY AND GLADES COUNTIES.

WINDS HAVE CAUSED MANY TREES TO UPROOT OR BLOW DOWN CAUSING MASSIVE POWER
OUTAGES. ALMOST HALF A MILLION /495000/ CUSTOMERS ARE WITHOUT POWER IN PALM
BEACH COUNTY...ONE QUARTER OF A MILLION /242000/ CUSTOMERS ARE WITHOUT POWER IN
BROWARD COUNTY...AND 88000 CUSTOMERS ARE WITHOUT POWER IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.
FOUR HOUSES HAD ROOFS BLOWN OFF IN GLADES COUNTY WHERE 2000 CUSTOMERS WERE
WITHOUT POWER AT 5 PM. IN HENDRY COUNTY 1500 CUSTOMERS WERE WITHOUT POWER AND
MINOR BUILDING DAMAGE WAS REPORTED IN CLEWISTON. THE WINDS MAY ALSO BLOW DOWN
TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND SIGNS...MAKING DRIVING EVEN MORE HAZARDOUS.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
HURRICANE WINDS ARE OCCURRING IN THE PALM BEACH ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS AND
HURRICANE WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE THIS EVENING.
THE WINDS WILL DECREASE BELOW HURRICANE FORCE ON SUNDAY MORNING. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS WITH SOME GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE ARE OCCURRING OVER THE BROWARD
AND MIAMI-DADE COASTAL WATERS...INCLUDING BISCAYNE BAY...AND ARE FORECAST TO
DECREASE EARLY SUNDAY.

STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL RESULT IN DANGEROUS SURF AND RIP CURRENTS ON
THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COAST.

...LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS...
DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES. WEST PALM BEACH HAS
MEASURED 2.65 INCHES OF RAIN...A RECORD FOR THE DATE. SO FAR...MOST AREAS HAVE
RECEIVED LESS THAN ONE INCH OF RAIN BUT THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF FRANCES MEANS THAT
RAINFALL COULD STILL BE VERY HEAVY TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN
EFFECT.

FORECASTED STORM TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH SUNDAY IN PALM BEACH COUNTY
COULD REACH UP TO 8 TO 10 INCHES WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS AS HIGH AS 12 INCHES...
ESPECIALLY IN AREAS CLOSEST TO WHERE FRANCES CROSSES THE COASTLINE. IN GLADES
AND HENDRY COUNTIES...MAXIMUM RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE.
FROM 2 TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REST OF SOUTH FLORIDA.

...LOCAL TORNADO IMPACTS...
THERE IS A CHANCE OF TORNADOES IN SOME OF THE RAINBANDS...MAINLY OVER INTERIOR
AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED HURRICANE FRANCES LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED
AROUND MIDNIGHT.

$$

LUSHINE/PFOST
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