[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KMFL 050427
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-051000-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1200 AM EDT SUN SEP 5 2004

...PORTIONS OF THE EYE WALL AFFECTING PALM BEACH COUNTY AND APPROACHING LAKE
OKEECHOBEE...

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

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR GLADES COUNTY.

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 11 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.1
NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.7 WEST. THIS LOCATION IS ABOUT 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF
WEST PALM BEACH. FRANCES IS MOVING TOWARDS THE WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 5 MPH.
FRANCES IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE FLORIDA EAST COAST DURING THE EARLY MORNING
HOURS ON SUNDAY. RAIN BANDS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE EYEWALL WHICH CONTAIN
SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE 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. THERE IS STILL A SMALL
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR FRANCES TO INTENSIFY SLIGHTLY 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 THROUGH 7 AM SUNDAY.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
THE VERY LARGE CENTER OF FRANCES WILL CROSS THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA FROM
AROUND JUPITER INLET NORTHWARD. WINDS ALONG THE EAST COAST OF SOUTH FLORIDA ARE
ALREADY WEST TO NORTHWEST IN PALM BEACH COUNTY AND WEST IN BROWARD AND MIAMI-
DADE. THIS MEANS THAT THE WINDS AFFECTING THE METRO SOUTHEAST COAST ARE 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. CONSEQUENTLY THE LATEST REPORTS FROM THE LAKE LEVEL AS OF 945 PM WERE
SHOWING ABOUT 15 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL AROUND 8 MILES NORTH OF THE SOUTH
END OF THE LAKE AND WAS AROUND 11 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL ON THE NORTH END...A
DIFFERENCE OF ABOUT 4 FEET. AS FRANCES CONTINUES TO MOVE ONSHORE...THE
NORTHERLY TO NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL PUSH THE WATER AS HIGH AS 18 TO 20 FEET
ABOVE MEAN SEA THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF SUNDAY ON THE LAKE SIDE OF THE
DIKE IN HENDRY AND WESTERN PALM BEACH COUNTIES. THIS WOULD AFFECT AREAS FROM
CLEWISTON TO 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 LEVEL WILL BE ALONG THE SOUTH END OF
THE LAKE...BETWEEN LAKE HARBOR AND BELLE GLADE...EARLY SUNDAY MORNING BUT WILL
MOVE TO THE EASTERN SHORE AS THE WIND BACKS AROUND TO THE WEST BY LATER IN THE
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 AROUND 3 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA
LEVEL DURING THE PREDAWN HOURS ON SUNDAY.

...WIND IMPACTS...
AT 11 PM...WIND GUSTS AT PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 76 MPH.
ACROSS BROWARD COUNTY AND AT FOWEY ROCKS LIGHT...JUST SOUTH OF KEY BISCAYNE...
WINDS WERE GUSTING TO AROUND 50 MPH OR ABOVE. WINDS NEAR OR ABOVE HURRICANE
FORCE ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF NORTHERN PALM
BEACH COUNTY THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF PALM BEACH
AND OVER NORTHERN SECTIONS OF BROWARD COUNTY...WINDS WILL BE OF TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WITH GUSTS CLOSE TO HURRICANE FORCE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.
ACROSS SOUTHERN BROWARD AND MIAMI DADE COUNTY...VERY WINDY CONDITIONS WILL BE
ACCOMPANIED BY TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS. ACROSS HENDRY AND GLADES
COUNTIES...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BE SPREADING INTO THE AREA THROUGH
THE EARLY MORNING HOURS 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 THROUGH DAWN.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
AT 11 PM EDT WINDS ACROSS THE LAKE WERE AROUND 50 MPH SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS TO 75
MPH. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE OCCURRING IN THE PALM BEACH ATLANTIC COASTAL
WATERS AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE
THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE BELOW
HURRICANE FORCE AFTER DAWN 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 BEGIN
SUBSIDING OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS...NEAR TROPICAL STORM FORCE...WILL RESULT IN DANGEROUS
SURF AND RIP CURRENTS ON THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COAST LATER SUNDAY MORNING.

...LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS...
AT WEST PALM BEACH...THE 24 HOURS RAINFALL TOTAL WAS 6.86 INCHES AS OF
MIDNIGHT...A RECORD FOR THE DAY. REPORTS FROM RAIN GANGES FROM THE SOUTH FLORIDA
WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT ACROSS PALM BEACH REPORT RAINFALL TOTALS OF 1 TO 3
INCHES WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTY SINCE 7 AM SATURDAY MORNING. ELSEWHERE
ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA...REPORTS INDICATE ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES OF
RAIN WITH MOST AREAS INDICATING LESS THAN ONE INCH OF RAIN ON SATURDAY. BUT THE
SLOW MOVEMENT OF FRANCES MEANS THAT RAINFALL COULD STILL BE VERY HEAVY
THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS ON SUNDAY PARTICULARLY ACROSS NORTHERN PALM BEACH
COUNTY AND THE VICINITY OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE...WHILE ELSEWHERE LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL IS STILL POSSIBLE IF OUTER RAIN BANDS DEVELOP AROUND THE HURRICANE AND
MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. THEREFORE...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF
SOUTH FLORIDA.

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
THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS ON SUNDAY.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT SCHEDULED HURRICANE FRANCES LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 3 AM.

$$

SANTOS
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