[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KTBW 042207
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-050100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE FRANCES LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
527 PM EDT SAT SEP 4 2004

...HURRICANE FRANCES HAS MOVED VERY LITTLE...
...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH NORTH
TO THE SUWANNEE RIVER INCLUDING LEVY CITRUS HERNANDO PASCO PINELLAS
HILLSBOROUGH MANATEE SARASOTA DESOTO CHARLOTTE AND LEE COUNTIES...
...FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA...
...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING FOR SUMTER... POLK...HIGHLANDS AND
HARDEE COUNTIES...

...THIS STATEMENT IS FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
CITRUS...CHARLOTTE...DESOTO...HERNANDO...HILLSBOROUGH...LEE...
LEVY...MANATEE...PASCO...PINELLAS...SARASOTA...HARDEE...
HIGHLANDS...POLK...SUMTER...

...WATCH/WARNING INFORMATION...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH NORTH THE
SUWANNEE RIVER. AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR
SUMTER... POLK...HIGHLANDS AND HARDEE COUNTIES

...STORM LOCATION...
AT 5 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 26.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE  79.3 WEST OR ABOUT OR ABOUT 205
MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE TAMPA BAY REGION. THIS POSITION IS ALSO
ABOUT 50 MILES EAST OF PALM BEACH FLORIDA.  FRANCES HAS BEEN DRIFTING
TO THE WEST DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS...BUT IS EXPECTED TO RESUME A
WEST NORTHWEST TRACK NEAR 5 MPH.

...CURRENT RADAR INFORMATION...
OUTER BAND FROM HURRICANE FRANCES CONTINUE TO MOVE QUICKLY WEST AND
SOUTHWESTWARD. AT 530 PM ONE BAND STRETCHED FROM CENTRAL PASCO COUNTY
TO THE GULF OF MEXICO SOUTHWEST OF CAPTIVA...ANOTHER BAND IS
DEVELOPING FROM NEAR BUSHNELL TO NEAR PORT CHARLOTTE.  A THIRD BAND
STRETCHED FROM NEAR FROSTPROOF ALONG U.S. 27 IN HIGHLANDS COUNTY. THE
LINES ARE MOVING WESTWARD AT 20 MPH WHILE THE STORMS INSIDE THE LINES
ARE MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 40 MPH. WINDS HAVE GUSTED TO 55 MPH AT
DOWNTOWN ST PETERSBURG...48 MPH AT THE ST PETE CLEARWATER AIRPORT AND
62 MPH AT THE SKYWAY BRIDGE AS A BAND PASSED THROUGH. WIND GUSTS AS
HIGH AS 65 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST SHOWERS...WITH MORE
GENERAL WIND GUSTS FROM 40 TO 50 MPH. ADDITIONAL BANDS ARE EXPECTED
TO DEVELOP AND MOVE WESTWARD THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON.

...WIND INFORMATION...
FRANCES WILL MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS INLAND COUNTIES SUNDAY PRODUCING NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WITH GUSTS OVER HURRICANE FORCE THAT WILL
WEAKEN AS THE STORM CONTINUES WEST NORTHWEST ACROSS THE FLORIDA
PENINSULA.  TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 35 TO 50 MPH...WITH LOCALLY
HIGHER GUSTS...CAN BE EXPECTED OVER WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA TONIGHT AND SUNDAY.  THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE LOCATED NEAR
THE CENTER OF FRANCES AS IT TRACKS ACROSS THE REGION.

...STORM SURGE INFORMATION...
AS FRANCES MOVES WEST NORTHWESTWARD SUNDAY...WINDS WILL BECOME
ONSHORE AND BEGIN TO RAISE WATER LEVELS 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL.
BEACH EROSION AND SPLASHOVER IS LIKELY.

...FLOOD INFORMATION...
THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF FRANCES WILL PROLONG HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE
STATE WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES NORTH AND EAST OF THE
CENTER OF FRANCES AND 4 TO 8 INCHES ON THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDES OF
FRANCES. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL LIKELY OCCUR.  MODERATE TO MAJOR
FLOODING MAY DEVELOP OVER MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA LATE TONIGHT
AND SUNDAY...WITH MOST RIVERS AND STREAMS RISING OUT OF THEIR BANKS.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS...CREEKS...AND RIVERS ACROSS THE
REGION SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AND TAKE ACTIONS
TO PROTECT PROPERTY.

IN ADDITION...THE HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF MANY URBAN LOW
LYING AREAS. SOME STREET AND INTERSECTION CLOSURES ARE LIKELY THIS
WEEKEND.

...MARINE INFORMATION...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AS THE
OUTER BANDS MOVE OFFSHORE. WINDS AND SEAS WILL INCREASE WILL TIME
INTO TONIGHT. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT.

...TORNADO INFORMATION...
THE PRIMARY AREA FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT IN TROPICAL SYSTEMS IS THE
RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT OF THE STORM. AS FRANCES MOVES NORTHWESTWARD
OVER THE PENINSULA...THAT PART OF THE STORM WILL AFFECT FLORIDA'S
EAST COAST.  THERE WILL BE AN INCREASED THREAT FOR TORNADIC ACTIVITY
LATE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW WHEN WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IS
ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE STORM.

...SHELTER AND ROAD STATUS...
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR SHELTER AND
ROAD STATUS.

...PRECAUTIONARY ACTIONS...
AS FRANCES MAKES LANDFALL PEOPLE IN AND CLOSE TO THE CORE OF MAXIMUM
WINDS SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IN A SMALL ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR SUCH AS
A CLOSET OR BATHROOM. PUT AS MANY WALLS BETWEEN YOU AND THE STORMS
WINDS AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. KEEP A BATTERY OPERATED
NOAA WEATHER RADIO WITH YOU OR AM FM RADIO TO RECEIVE UPDATES AND
WARNINGS.

THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AT 6 PM.

$$

SOBIEN

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