[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KMFL 050100
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-050400-

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

...PORTIONS OF THE EYE WALL AFFECTING PALM BEACH COUNTY...

...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 8 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.0
NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.4 WEST. THIS LOCATION IS ABOUT 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF
WEST PALM BEACH. FRANCES HAS BEEN DRIFTING SLOWLY WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 5
MPH. FRANCES IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE FLORIDA EAST COAST AFTER
MIDNIGHT. RAIN BANDS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE EYEWALL WHICH CONTAIN SUSTAINED
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...WILL BE MOVING ACROSS PALM BEACH COUNTY THROUGH THE NEXT
SEVERAL HOURS. 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...
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 8 PM EDT WINDS ACROSS THE LAKE WERE AROUND 40 MPH SUSTAINED
WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 70 MPH. CONSEQUENTLY THE LAKE AT 6 PM WAS ABOUT 15 FEET
ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL ON THE SOUTH END AND WAS AROUND 11.6 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA
LEVEL ON THE NORTH END...A DIFFERENCE OF ABOUT 3 TO 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 TONIGHT 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 8 PM...WIND GUSTS AT PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 74 MPH.
ACROSS BROWARD COUNTY AND AT FOWEY ROCKS LIGHT...JUST SOUTH OF KEY BISCAYNE...
WINDS WERE GUSTING CLOSE TO 50 MPH. A WIND GUST OF 76 MPH WAS OBSERVED AT 5 PM
AT FOWEY ROCKS. WINDS NEAR OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE ALONG WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN
WILL LIKELY AFFECT NORTHEAST PALM BEACH COUNTY THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT.
ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF PALM BEACH AND OVER BROWARD COUNTY...WINDS WILL BE OF
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WITH GUSTS CLOSE TO HURRICANE FORCE. ACROSS MIAMI DADE
COUNTY...VERY WINDY CONDITIONS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WIND GUSTS. ACROSS HENDRY AND GLADES COUNTIES...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS
WILL BE SPREADING INTO THE AREA TONIGHT WITH GUSTS CLOSE TO HURRICANE FORCE
PARTICULARLY IN AREAS CLOSE TO LAKE OKEECHOBEE. FOR THE REMAINDER OF SOUTH
FLORIDA...VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS PARTICULARLY OVERNIGHT.

ALSO...AT 830 PM EDT...AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS REPORTED WIND GUSTS OF 60 TO 70
MPH IN POMPANO BEACH CAUSING ROOF DAMAGE.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE OCCURRING IN THE PALM BEACH ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS
AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE TONIGHT.
THE WINDS WILL DECREASE BELOW HURRICANE FORCE ON SUNDAY MORNING. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS WITH SOME GUSTS CLOSE 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. RAIN GAGES REPORT
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. WEST PALM BEACH HAS MEASURED 4.95 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...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...
THE THREAT OF TORNADOS IS LOW ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA. HOWEVER...THIS THREAT
INCREASES IN AREAS CLOSE TO THE CENTER OF CIRCULATION WHICH MEANS THE BEST
CHANCE OF TORNADOS ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA IS FOR THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE REGION.

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

$$

SANTOS

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