[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KEYW 050009
HLSEYW
FLZ076-077-GMZ031-033-052-053-072-050330-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT...HURRICANE FRANCES
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
830 PM EDT SAT SEP 4 2004

...LARGE HURRICANE DRIFTING SLOWLY TOWARD FLORIDA EAST COAST...

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM OCEAN REEF TO THE SEVEN
MILE BRIDGE...INCLUDING FLORIDA BAY...

...NEW INFORMATION SINCE LAST ISSUANCE...
STORM LOCATION HAS BEEN UPDATED.

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT DETAILS SPECIFIC PREPAREDNESS AND SAFETY ACTIONS TO
BE TAKEN IN THE UPPER AND MIDDLE FLORIDA KEYS OF MONROE COUNTY
CONCERNING THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE FRANCES.

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MIDDLE AND UPPER
KEYS...FROM THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO FLORIDA CITY INCLUDING FLORIDA
BAY.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT SUSTAINED WINDS OF 39 TO 73 MPH
ARE LIKELY IN THE WARNED AREA...WITHIN 24 HOURS.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 8 PM EDT...THE LARGE EYE OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED BY
AIRCRAFT...RADAR AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS NEAR LATITUDE 27.0
NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.4 WEST...OR ABOUT 125 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
OCEAN REEF. FRANCES HAS BEEN DRIFTING SLOWLY WEST-NORTHWESTWARD NEAR
5 MPH. A SLOW WEST OR WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TONIGHT.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 105 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE BEFORE LANDFALL. THE ESTIMATED
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 951 MB...28.08 INCHES OF MERCURY.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
ALL MONROE COUNTY LIBRARIES ARE CLOSED. ALTHOUGH KEY WEST
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS OPEN...THERE IS NO FLIGHT SERVICE SCHEDULED
THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. BOTH KEY WEST AND FLORIDA KEYS
MARATHON AIRPORTS HAVE BECOME SAFE HAVENS FOR PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL
AIRCRAFT LOOKING TO ESCAPE POSSIBLE DAMAGE FROM THE STORM. GREYHOUND
BUS LINES HAS SUSPENDED ALL BUS SERVICE TO AND FROM MIAMI UNTIL
WEATHER CONDITIONS IMPROVE. RESIDENTS IN THE MIDDLE AND UPPER KEYS
SHOULD SECURE LOOSE OBJECTS.

...WIND IMPACTS...
RAIN BANDS ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE FRANCES WILL ROTATE SOUTH AND
WEST ACROSS THE FLORIDA KEYS AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OVERNIGHT.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE MIDDLE KEYS
AND UPPER KEYS...AND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
RAIN BANDS.

...MARINE IMPACTS...
SMALL CRAFT THROUGHOUT THE KEYS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT INTO SUNDAY.
SEAS WILL BUILD TO 15 FEET BEYOND THE REEF THIS EVENING...WITH EVEN
HIGHER SWELLS. BAY WATERS WILL BE VERY ROUGH.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDE LEVELS AT VACA CUT ARE ABOUT A HALF OF A FOOT ABOVE NORMAL AT
THIS TIME. THE STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL CAUSE TIDE LEVELS TO REMAIN
ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE BAY SIDE OF THE MIDDLE AND UPPER KEYS THROUGH
SUNDAY. THE NEXT HIGH TIDE AT VACA CUT WILL BE AT 1259 AM
SUNDAY...AND 210 AM SUNDAY AT WHALE HARBOR CHANNEL.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT CONCERNING THE IMPACTS OF HURRICANE FRANCES
IN THE UPPER AND MIDDLE FLORIDA KEYS WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1130 PM
EDT.

$$

LK













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