[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[Nashville EMWIN]

WTUS82 KTBW 051821
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-052200-

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

...HURRICANE FRANCES SLOWLY MOVING THROUGH 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 9 PM EDT TODAY FOR
LEVY...CITRUS...HERNANDO...PASCO...SUMTER...PINELLAS...
HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...MANATEE AND HARDEE COUNTIES...
...A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR ALL COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THROUGH 10 PM MONDAY...

...STORM LOCATION...
AT 2 PM EDT...1800Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 27.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE  81.7 WEST...BETWEEN BARTOW AND
LAKE WALES...OR ABOUT 50 MILES EAST OF TAMPA. FRANCES IS MOVING TO
THE WEST NORTHWEST AT ABOUT 9 MPH.  A CONTINUED WEST NORTHWEST TRACK
THIS AFTERNOON AND FRANCES SHOULD MOVE INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO LATE
TONIGHT OR MONDAY MORNING.

...CURRENT RADAR INFORMATION...
THE HEAVY SQUALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WESTERN EYE WALL ARE COVERING
SOUTHEASTERN PASCO...EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH...WESTERN
POLK...NORTHEASTERN MANATEE...AND WESTERN HARDEE COUNTY. WIND GUSTS
OF 50 TO 75 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS BAND. UNOFFICIAL WIND GUSTS
WERE RECENTLY REPORTED TO 70 MPH IN VALRICO WITH THIS BAND. OUTER
BANDS COVER THE REMAINDER OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA. RAINFALL IN THE STRONGEST BAND WILL DROP ONE INCH OF RAIN OR
MORE PER HOUR...WHILE THE STRONGEST OUTER BANDS WILL PRODUCE ONE
QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH OF RAIN PER HOUR.

...WIND INFORMATION...
THE CENTER OF FRANCES OVER POLK COUNTY WILL MOVE INTO NORTHEASTERN
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS...THEN CONTINUE
NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE NATURE COAST EARLY THIS
EVENING BEFORE MOVING INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE
STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE NEAR THE CENTER OF FRANCES WITH TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS OF 35 TO 50 MPH.

...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 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ARE
POSSIBLE ACROSS AREAS WITH A SOUTHWEST EXPOSURE FROM FORT MYERS
BEACH TO TAMPA BAY...WITH 2 TO 4 FEET FOR SOUTHWEST FACING PORTIONS
OF THE NATURE COAST. 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 INTO MONDAY.

...MARINE INFORMATION...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS ARE OCCURRING AS THE BANDS MOVE
OFFSHORE. HURRICANE GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE OFFSHORE WATERS NORTH
AND EAST OF THE CENTER LATE TONIGHT WHEN FRANCES EMERGES INTO THE
GULF OF MEXICO.

...TORNADO INFORMATION...
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE EXPECTED TO FORM AS SPIRAL BANDS CONTINUE TO
ROTATE AROUND THE CENTER OF FRANCES. ANY TORNADOES THAT FORM WILL
MOVE VERY QUICKLY.

...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
A RADIO TO RECEIVE UPDATES AND WARNINGS.

THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 600 PM.

$$

ALSHEIMER
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