[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KMFL 260953
HLSMFL
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-GMZ656-657-676-261600-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
553 AM EDT FRI AUG 26 2005

...SPIRAL BANDS AROUND KATRINA TO AFFECT SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY...

...NEW INFORMATION SINCE LAST ISSUANCE...
UPDATED STORM INFORMATION
UPDATED LOCAL FLOOD IMPACT
UPDATED WIND IMPACT
UPDATED STORM SURGE/STORM TIDE
UPDATED TORNADO IMPACTS

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

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
AT 5 AM EDT...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA GULF COAST FROM SOUTH OF FLORIDA CITY WEST AND NORTH TO LONGBOAT KEY
INCLUDING FLORIDA BAY AND MAINLAND MONROE AND COLLIER COUNTIES. A TROPICAL STORM
WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR COASTAL METROPOLITAN BROWARD AND MIAMI-DADE
COUNTIES...THE ADJACENT ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...AND BISCAYNE BAY.

A FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MIAMI-DADE COUNTY UNTIL 7 AM
TODAY AND WILL LIKELY BE EXTENDED. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF
SOUTH FLORIDA THROUGH SATURDAY.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR INLAND AREAS OF
SOUTH FLORIDA INCLUDING INLAND MIAMI-DADE...INLAND COLLIER AND INLAND MAINLAND
MONROE COUNTIES.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR 25.3
NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.5 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHEAST OF NAPLES. KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 5 MPH
AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS WITH A SLIGHT
INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED NOW THAT KATRINA IS BACK OVER
THE WARM GULF OF MEXICO WATERS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
IN COLLIER COUNTY...SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TODAY. RESIDENTS OF COLLIER COUNTY SHOULD
HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED PREPARATIONS AND A SHELTER IS OPEN IN IMMOKALEE. CHECK
WITH COLLIER EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR DETAILS AT THE HOTLINE NUMBER 239-774-
8444.

ELSEWHERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA...AS DAWN COMES AND PEOPLE AWAKEN AND BEGIN TO
INSPECT DAMAGE...DOWNED POWER LINES CAN KILL. WEAR STOUT SHOES WHEN WALKING
AMID DEBRIS...NEVER GO BAREFOOT...AND STAY FAR AWAY FROM ANY DOWNED POWER
LINES. USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OPERATING POWER TOOLS TO CUT UP DOWNED TREES.
MAKE SURE TO ALLOW PLENTY OF VENTILATION FOR GENERATORS AS CARBON MONOXIDE
POISONING IS A SILENT KILLER IN POORLY VENTED ROOMS WITH GENERATORS OPERATING.
DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN TO PLAY ANYWHERE NEAR STANDING WATER BECAUSE OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF DOWNED POWER LINES THAT CANNOT BE SEEN.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
WINDS ARE OFFSHORE ALONG THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA GULF COAST AND TIDES ARE RUNNING
WELL BELOW NORMAL AS WATER IS PUSHED AWAY FROM THE BEACHES. HOWEVER...AS
KATRINA MOVES FARTHER OUT INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO...THE WIND DIRECTION WILL
BECOME MORE ONSHORE AND A STORM TIDE OF 2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL IS
EXPECTED ALONG THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA GULF COAST AT THE TIMES OF HIGH TIDE.
THE NEXT HIGH TIDE AT NAPLES WILL BE AROUND 8 PM...AND AGAIN AROUND 530 AM
SATURDAY. THE ACTUAL HIGHEST STORM TIDES ALONG THE MAINLAND MONROE AND COLLIER
COUNTY COASTLINES WILL LIKELY BE EARLY SATURDAY MORNING GIVEN THE FORECAST
PATH OF KATRINA.

TIDES ALONG THE MIAMI-DADE COASTLINE INCLUDING BISCAYNE BAY ARE NOW RUNNING 1
TO 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL WITH THE ONSHORE FLOW AROUND HURRICANE KATRINA. THESE
TIDES WILL SLOWLY RETURN TO NORMAL AS THE WIND DECREASES. THE NEXT HIGH TIDE
AT MIAMI HARBOR ENTRANCE WILL BE FROM 2 TO 3 PM TODAY AND LEVELS WILL AGAIN BE
AS MUCH AS 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL.

ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE...WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 30 KNOTS ARE STILL PUSHING WATER
TOWARD THE WEST END OF THE LAKE AND THE MOUTH OF FISHEATING CREEK.
LAKE LEVELS ON THE WEST AND NORTHWEST SHORES WILL BE FROM 1 TO 2 FEET
ABOVE THE AVERAGE LAKE LEVEL TODAY. HOWEVER...THESE WINDS WILL SLOWLY BE
DIMINISHING TODAY AND THE LAKE WILL SLOWLY RETURN TO NORMAL.

...WIND IMPACTS...
ACCORDING TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AND SURFACE REPORTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE CONTINUING ACROSS SOUTH MIAMI-DADE AND MAINLAND
MONROE COUNTIES WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE ACROSS COLLIER AND
PARTS OF BROWARD COUNTIES. AT 5 AM EDT...A WIND GUST TO 45 MPH WAS OBSERVED AT
EVERGLADES CITY. IN THE NAPLES METRO AREA...WINDS WERE GUSTING AS HIGH AS 32
MPH. WINDS WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH TODAY AS KATRINA MOVES FARTHER OUT INTO THE
GULF OF MEXICO...BUT WINDS WILL GUST TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE IN SQUALLS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE SPIRAL BANDS ROTATING ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY AND
TONIGHT.

...LOCAL MARINE IMPACTS...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA GULF OF MEXICO
COASTAL WATERS AS HURRICANE KATRINA MOVES WEST FROM CAPE SABLE. HURRICANE
FORCE WINDS OR FREQUENT GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE CAN BE EXPECTED IN THESE
COASTAL WATERS THIS MORNING BUT WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AS KATRINA MOVES FARTHER OUT INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA...TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS ARE STILL OCCURRING OVER THE MIAMI-DADE AND BROWARD COASTAL WATERS WITH A
GUST TO 56 KNOTS REPORTED AT FOWEY ROCKS LIGHT AT 5 AM EDT. WINDS WERE STILL
GUSTING AS HIGH AS 30 KNOTS IN THE PALM BEACH COUNTY COASTAL WATERS. WINDS
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH TODAY AS KATRINA
MOVES FARTHER AWAY.

...LOCAL FLOOD IMPACTS...
AS OF 5 AM...ALMOST 12 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN NEAR HOMESTEAD AND NEARLY 10
INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN NEAR CUTLER RIDGE CAUSING EXTENSIVE FLOODING IN SOUTH
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES GREATER
THAN 8 INCHES OF RAIN OVER A WIDE AREA SOUTH OF KENDALL DRIVE INCLUDING
CORAL GABLES AND KEY BISCAYNE WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 15 INCHES
PROBABLE. RAINFALL ACROSS BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES WAS MUCH LESS...
GENERALLY FROM 1.5 TO 4 INCHES...AND EVEN LESS ACROSS THE REST OF SOUTH
FLORIDA DUE TO THE SOUTHWEST MOVEMENT BY KATRINA OVERNIGHT.

EVEN THOUGH KATRINA WILL BE MOVING AWAY FROM SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY...SPIRAL BANDS
WILL CONTINUE TO ROTATE ACROSS MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE
STORM. THESE SPIRAL BANDS CAN PRODUCE A QUICK 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN IN A SHORT
TIME...FURTHER AGGRAVATING ANY FLOOD CONDITIONS ALREADY PRESENT.

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS AS HIGH AS 5
INCHES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY EVEN THOUGH KATRINA WILL BE MOVING AWAY FROM SOUTH
FLORIDA.

...LOCAL TORNADO IMPACTS...
SOUTH FLORIDA WILL BE IN THE RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT OF KATRINA TODAY...SO THERE
CONTINUES TO BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TORNADOES IN THE SPIRAL BANDS THAT WILL
BE ROTATING ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE MIAMI WEATHER FORECAST
OFFICE AROUND 830 AM TODAY.

FOR A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THIS LOCAL STATEMENT...PLEASE GO TO
OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.MIAMIWEATHER.INFO AND CLICK ON THE GRAPHICAL
HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT ICON.

$$

PFOST
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