[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KTBW 051533
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-051900-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE FRANCES LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1132 AM EDT SUN SEP 5 2004

...HURRICANE FRANCES SLOWLY APPROACHING WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA...
...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 UNTIL 2 PM EDT TODAY FOR
LEVY...CITRUS...HERNANDO...PASCO...SUMTER...PINELLAS...
HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...
...A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR ALL COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THROUGH 10 PM MONDAY...

...STORM LOCATION...
AT 11 AM EDT...1500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 27.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE  81.2 WEST...ABOUT 25 MILES
NORTHEAST OF SEBRING AND 80 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF TAMPA FLORIDA.
FRANCES IS MOVING TO THE WEST NORTHWEST AT ABOUT 9 MPH.  A CONTINUED
WEST TO WEST-NORTHWEST TRACK ACROSS THE PENINSULA IS EXPECTED TODAY
AND FRANCES SHOULD MOVE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO LATE TONIGHT OR
MONDAY MORNING.

...CURRENT RADAR INFORMATION...
THE LARGE RAIN BAND EXTENDS FROM LEVY COUNTY...OVER THE EASTERN GULF
OF MEXICO...TO ONSHORE SARASOTA AND CHARLOTTE COUNTIES.  OTHER RAIN
BANDS EXTEND OVER WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA OVER THE COASTAL COUNTIES.
THE HEAVIEST RAIN IS LOCATED NEAR THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE OVER
EASTERN POLK COUNTY.  MOVEMENT WAS GENERALL SOUTHWEST AT 40
MPH...EXCEPT OVER DESOTO...HIGHLANDS...AND CHARLOTTE...AND LEE
COUNTIES WHICH WAS EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

...WIND INFORMATION...
THE CENTER OF FRANCES WILL MOVE OVER EASTERN POLK COUNTY...THEN
CONTINUE NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE NATURE COAST THIS EVENING. THE
STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE NEAR THE CENTER OF FRANCES OVER INLAND
COUNTIES THIS MORNING...WITH HURRICANE FORCE SUSTAINED WINDS OR WIND
GUSTS POSSIBLE.  AS FRANCES WEAKENS AND NEARS THE WEST COAST LATER
THIS AFTERNOON...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 35 TO 50 MPH...WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA.

...STORM SURGE...
WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTHWESTERLY LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT 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 13 INCHES WITH RAIN STILL FALLING. AREAS OF 2 TO 4
INCHES OF RAIN HAVE OCCURRED OVER THE INTERIOR PENINSULA...WITH
GENERALLY LESS THAN 2 INCHES OF RAIN OVER WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA. THE HEAVIEST RAIN WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AS
THE CENTER OF FRANCES TRACKS OVER THE AREA...AND THEN WINDS WILL
SHIFT TO SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE STORM.
ADDITIONAL TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL LIKELY FEED INTO THE STORM FROM THE
GULF OF MEXICO AND ENHANCE RAINFALL OVER WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA AFTER
THE CENTER OF FRANCES EMERGES OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO.

...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 300 PM.

$$

OGLESBY



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