[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMFL 261146
HLSMFL
AMZ610-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>072-GMZ656-676-261600-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
744 AM EDT SUN SEP 26 2004

...SPIRAL BANDS OF SQUALLS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS AND THREAT OF SMALL
TORNADOES...

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

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
...HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PALM BEACH AND BROWARD COUNTIES
AND FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE...

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR
GLADES...HENDRY...WESTERN PALM BEACH...AND WESTERN BROWARD COUNTIES.

...TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR COASTAL COLLIER...

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR INLAND COLLIER
COUNTY.

A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTH FLORIDA UNTIL 8 PM.

SOME WARNINGS MAY BE DISCONTINUED FOR PARTS OF THE METRO ATLANTIC COAST LATER
THIS MORNING.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 7 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE JEANNE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.7
NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.4 WEST. THIS LOCATION IS NEAR AVON PARK. JEANNE IS MOVING
WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 100
MILES AN HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS...MAKING JEANNE A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PERSONS ALONG AND NORTH OF ALLIGATOR ALLEY INTERSTATE 75 SHOULD REMAIN IN A
SAFE LOCATION UNTIL CONDITIONS IMPROVE LATER THIS MORNING.

DOWNED POWER LINES ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. SHOULD YOU SPOT A DOWNED POWER LINE
STAY AWAY! IT IS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS IF IT IS CLOSE TO STANDING WATER.

DOWNED TREES WILL BE BLOCKING ROADS FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. TRAFFIC LIGHTS WILL BE
OUT OVER A LARGE PART OF METRO PALM BEACH AND NORTHERN BROWARD COUNTIES AS
WELL AS THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE REGION. TREAT INTERSECTIONS WITH NO FUNCTIONING
TRAFFIC LIGHTS AS A FOUR WAY STOP. PROCEED INTO THE INTERSECTION ONLY WHEN THE
WAY IS CLEAR AND THE RIGHT OF WAY IS IN YOUR FAVOR. COURTESY TO OTHER DRIVERS
PREVENTS ACCIDENTS.

GENERATORS SHOULD ONLY BE OPERATING IN WELL VENTILATED AREAS...NEVER IN
ENCLOSED GARAGES OR SMALL SPACES. EVERY HURRICANE EVENT CAUSES SEVERAL CARBON
MONOXIDE DEATHS...ALWAYS PROVIDE PLENTY OF VENTILATION FOR GENERATORS.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
ALTHOUGH THE TIME FOR THE GREATEST STORM TIDE HAS PASSED...TIDAL LEVELS ALONG
THE ATLANTIC COAST OF SOUTH FLORIDA ARE STILL RUNNING AROUND A HALF FOOT TO A
FOOT ABOVE NORMAL. THE NEXT HIGH TIDE FOR THE ATLANTIC COAST WILL BE AROUND 7
AM. ALTHOUGH WINDS ALONG THE COAST ARE SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERLY...SOME COASTAL
FLOODING CAN STILL BE EXPECTED AROUND THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE ESPECIALLY IN PALM
BEACH COUNTY. HIGH TIDE AT LAKE WORTH WILL BE AROUND 1 PM.

FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE...THE AVERAGE LEVEL WAS NEAR 16 FEET ON SATURDAY.
SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS ARE NOW PUSHING WATER TOWARD THE NORTH COAST OF THE LAKE
FROM PORT MAYACA TO TAYLOR SLOUGH TO THE TOWNS OF OKEECHOBEE AND BUCKHEAD
RIDGE. THE WATER IS ALREADY ABOVE 20 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL IN THE NORTH END OF
THE LAKE...AND A PEAK STORM TIDE OF 21 TO 22 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL IS
EXPECTED ON THE NORTH END OF THE LAKE LATE THIS MORNING LASTING WELL INTO THE
AFTERNOON. ALL AREAS OUTSIDE PROTECTION OF THE HOOVER DIKE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF
THE LAKE WILL BE FLOODED. WATER LEVELS WILL BE FALLING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE
LAKE INCLUDING THE ISLANDS FROM CLEWISTON EAST TO BELLE GLADE. THE HOOVER DIKE
PROTECTS INHABITED AREAS TO MORE THAN 30 FEET.

FOR THE SOUTHWEST GULF COAST...HIGHER STORM TIDES ARE EXPECTED THIS
MORNING SINCE JEANNE HAS MOVED FARTHER WEST. HIGH TIDE ON THE SOUTHWEST
GULF COAST WILL BE AROUND NOON TODAY...AND WITH THE ONSHORE TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS A STORM TIDE OF 4 TO 5 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL CAN BE
EXPECTED FROM AROUND 8 AM LASTING INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON BEFORE FALLING.
THIS WILL CAUSE SOME FLOODING OF LOW LYING ROADWAYS FROM CHOKOLOSKEE TO
EVERGLADES CITY AND OVER TO MARCO ISLAND INCLUDING STATE ROADS 29...92...AND
951 AS WELL AS PARTS OF THE TAMIAMI TRAIL U.S. HIGHWAY 41. SOME BEACHFRONT
AREAS FROM NAPLES NORTH TO THE LEE COUNTY LINE CAN ALSO EXPECT SOME COASTAL
FLOODING INCLUDING PELICAN BAY...VANDERBILT BEACH...AND BONITA SHORES.

...WIND IMPACTS...
HURRICANE FORCE WIND GUSTS ARE CONTINUING ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE. ABOUT 8 MILES
SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF OKEECHOBEE A DATA PLATFORM REPORTED SUSTAINED
WINDS AT 57 MPH GUSTING TO 83 MPH AT 630 AM. ACROSS PALM BEACH COUNTY...WINDS
HAVE BACKED TO THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH...BUT WERE STILL TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS CLOSE TO HURRICANE FORCE WITH SQUALLS. AT LAKE WORTH...
SUSTAINED WINDS WERE STILL 39 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH AT 7 AM. WINDS
ARE ALSO SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST ACROSS BROWARD AND MIAMI-DADE...WITH OCCASIONAL
GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE MAINLY IN BROWARD COUNTY.

ONSHORE WINDS IN THE NAPLES AREA ARE GUSTING CLOSE TO 50 MPH...AND AT
EVERGLADES CITY ARE GUSTING CLOSE TO 52 MPH.

WINDS OVER METRO PALM BEACH WILL BE DECREASING THIS MORNING BUT WHEN SQUALLS
OCCUR GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE UNTIL ABOUT 9 AM. THE WINDS
SHOULD BE BELOW TROPICAL STORM FORCE BY NOON ACROSS PALM BEACH COUNTY. ACROSS
BROWARD AND MIAMI DADE COUNTIES...WINDS WILL STEADILY DECREASE BUT SQUALLS WILL
RESULT IN TROPICAL STORM FORCE GUSTS THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

OVER INLAND AREAS OF PALM BEACH...BROWARD...GLADES...AND HENDRY COUNTIES ...
SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS...39 MILES PER HOUR OR GREATER...
WILL LAST THROUGH THIS MORNING. OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE WILL OCCUR
OVER INLAND AREAS...ESPECIALLY AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE...THROUGH MID MORNING. THE
WINDS WILL DECREASE LATE THIS MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON.

OVER THE SOUTHWEST GULF COAST REGION...INCLUDING METRO NAPLES AND MARCO
ISLAND...FREQUENT WINDS GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 39 MPH...TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH...
WILL BE OCCURRING THROUGH NOON.

ALMOST HALF A MILLION CUSTOMERS ARE WITHOUT POWER IN PALM BEACH COUNTY AS OF
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...ALONG WITH ANOTHER 50 THOUSAND CUSTOMERS IN BROWARD
COUNTY. AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE IT IS LIKELY THAT AROUND ONE
MILLION PEOPLE MAY BE WITHOUT POWER IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
THE WINDS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS ARE NOW SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST..AND
THEREFORE BLOWING WITH THE GULF STREAM. AT 7 AM AT FOWEY ROCKS LIGHT...WINDS
WERE STILL GUSTING AROUND 44 KNOTS AND AT SETTLEMENT POINT ON THE WEST
END OF GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND...WINDS WERE SOUTHERLY GUSTING TO 41 KNOTS. ATLANTIC
SEAS WILL BE SLOWLY IMPROVING BUT SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT THROUGH
TODAY AND SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY REMAIN INTO MONDAY UNTIL WINDS AND
SEAS SUBSIDE. LAKE OKEECHOBEE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE HURRICANE CONDITIONS
THROUGH THIS MORNING GRADUALLY SUBSIDING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE GULF COASTAL WATERS OF
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THROUGHOUT TODAY SLOWLY IMPROVING TONIGHT.

...LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS...
A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES 8 TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ACROSS CENTRAL PALM BEACH
COUNTY FROM JUST SOUTH OF WELLINGTON EAST TO GREENACRES CITY...LAKE WORTH...
LANTANA....AND HYPOLUXO. 4 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER ALMOST ALL OF THE
REST OF PALM BEACH COUNTY...WITH 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN ESTIMATED ACROSS BROWARD
COUNTY AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.

AS THE DAY WEARS ON...BANDS OF SQUALLS WILL SPIRAL ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA FROM THE
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH PRODUCING BURSTS OF TORRENTIAL RAINS ALONG WITH STRONG WIND
GUSTS. TRAIN ECHOES COULD PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN ACROSS
PARTS OF SOUTH FLORIDA.

...LOCAL TORNADO IMPACTS...
THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A SLIGHT THREAT OF TORNADOES IN THE RAINBANDS OF
JEANNE THROUGH THIS MORNING.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED HURRICANE JEANNE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED
AROUND 12 NOON.

$$

PFOST
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