[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KTBW 051005
HLSTBW

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-051100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE FRANCES LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
551 AM EDT SUN SEP 5 2004

...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES NOW NORTHEAST OF LAKE
OKEECHOBEE...
...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 IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH NORTH THE
SUWANNEE RIVER. AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR
SUMTER...POLK...HIGHLANDS AND HARDEE COUNTIES...
...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR UNTIL 8 AM EDT TODAY FOR
LEVY...CITRUS...HERNANDO...PASCO...SUMTER...PINELLAS...
HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...MANATEE...SARASOTA...HARDEE...DESOTO...AND
HIGHLANDS...
...A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR ALL COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...

...STORM LOCATION...
AT 5 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 27.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE  80.5 WEST OR ABOUT 20 MILES
WEST OF STUART. THIS IS ALSO ABOUT 135 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF
TAMPA FLORIDA. FRANCES IS MOVING TO THE WEST NORTHWEST AT
ABOUT 8 MPH.

...CURRENT RADAR INFORMATION...
A BAND FROM FRANCES EXTENDS THROUGH SUMTER COUNTY SOUTH ACROSS
PASCO...HILLSOBOROUGH...MANATEE AND SARASOTA COUNTIES MOVING SOUTH AT
40 MPH. ANOTHER WEAKER BAND IS MOVING ACROSS POLK COUNTY.


...WIND INFORMATION...
THE CENTER OF FRANCES WILL MOVE NEAR THE NORTH END OF LAKE
OKEECHOBEE BY 8 AM...THEN CONTINUE NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS POLK
COUNTY AND INTO THE NATURE COAST BY SUNDAY EVENING. THE STRONGEST
WINDS WILL BE CLOSEST TO THE CENTER OF FRANCES OVER INLAND COUNTIES
THIS MORNING...WITH HURRICANE FORCE SUSTAINED WINDS OR WIND GUSTS
WILL BE POSSIBLE.  TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 35 TO 50 MPH...WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS...CAN BE EXPECTED OVER WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AS FRANCES NEARS THE WEST COAST TODAY.

...STORM SURGE...
WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTHWESTERLY LATE SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT AS
FRANCES MOVES ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE REGION AND BACK INTO
THE GULF OF MEXICO. WATER LEVELS 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ARE
POSSIBLE ACROSS AREAS WITH A SOUTHWEST EXPOSURE FROM FORT MYERS
BEACH TO CEDAR KEY. BEACH EROSION AND SPLASHOVER IS LIKELY.

...FLOOD INFORMATION...
THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF FRANCES WILL PROLONG HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE
STATE WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES NORTH AND EAST OF THE
CENTER OF FRANCES AND 3 TO 6 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 LATER
TODAY OR ON MONDAY WHERE THE HEAVIEST RAIN FALLS.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE PATH OF FRANCES ALONG THE EAST COAST HAVE
BEEN UP TO 10 INCHES WITH MORE RAIN FALLING. ISOLATED AREAS OF 3
INCHES OF RAIN WERE FOUND FROM LAKELAND TO SEBRING. OVER COASTAL
AREAS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE
BEEN ONE INCH OR LESS SO FAR.  RAINFALL INTENSITY WILL PICK UP
SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG AND
NORTH OF THE TRACK DURING THE DAY.

...MARINE INFORMATION...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS ARE OCCURRING AS THE OUTER BANDS MOVE
OFFSHORE. WINDS AND SEAS WILL INCREASE DURING THE DAY AS FRANCES
MOVES CLOSER. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT.

...TORNADO INFORMATION...
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE EXPECTED TO FORM AS SPIRAL BANDS CONTINUE TO
MOVE WESTWARD THROUGH THE AREA. ANY TORNADOES THAT FORM WILL MOVE
VERY QUICKLY SOUTHWESTWARD.

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

...PRECAUTIONARY ACTIONS...
IF TORNADO WARNINGS ARE ISSUED...PEOPLE 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 700 AM.

$$

PAXTON



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