[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLCH 290438
HLSLCH

LAZ029-033-044-045-051>055-290700-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE KATRINA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1136 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH
THE NORTHERN GULF COAST...

...A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA
EASTWARD TO THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA BORDER...

...AREAS AFFECTED IN SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS IN ACADIA...CALCASIEU...
CAMERON...IBERIA...JEFFERSON DAVIS...LAFAYETTE...SAINT MARTIN...
SAINT MARY...AVOYELLES...SAINT LANDRY AND VERMILION PARISHES...

...WATCHES/WARNING...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SAINT MARY PARISH. A HURRICANE
WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED INSIDE THE
WARNED AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE
AND PROPERTY SHOULD ALREADY BE COMPLETED.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FROM
WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA INCLUDING
VERMILION AND IBERIA PARISH. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED INSIDE THE WARNED AREA WITHIN
THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS
ARE POSSIBLE INSIDE THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF INTRACOASTAL
CITY TO CAMERON LOUISIANA INCLUDING CAMERON PARISH.

AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 7 PM MONDAY
FOR AVOYELLES...SAINT LANDRY...SAINT MARTIN AND LAFAYETTE PARISHES.
AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS
ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INLAND ACROSS THE WARNED AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24
HOURS.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING TO MONDAY EVENING
FOR IBERIA...SAINT MARY...AND SAINT MARTIN PARISHES. THREE TO FIVE
INCHES OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THIS AREA THROUGH MONDAY EVENING
WHICH WILL CAUSE THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING IN LOW-LYING AREAS.

...STORM INFORMATION...UPDATED
AT 10 PM...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
27.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.4 WEST...OR ABOUT 175 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA.

KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH...AND A
GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.
ON THIS TRACK THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE WILL BE NEAR THE NORTHERN
GULF COAST EARLY MONDAY. HOWEVER...CONDITIONS ARE ALREADY BEGINNING
TO DETERIORATE ALONG PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN GULF
COAST...AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORSEN THROUGH THE NIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 160 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
KATRINA IS A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH IS LIKELY UNTIL
LANDFALL. KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY FOUR OR
FIVE.

KATRINA IS A LARGE HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...WINDS GREATER
THAN 74 MPH...EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS...WINDS GREATER THAN 39 MPH...EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES. SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE
OCCURRING OVER THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA COAST AND SOUTHWEST PASS
LOUISIANA RECENTLY REPORTED A GUST TO 90 MPH.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE
AIRCRAFT WAS 904 MB...26.70 INCHES.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
RESIDENTS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA SHOULD ALREADY BE PREPARED FOR
THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF A NEARBY LANDFALLING MAJOR HURRICANE. THE
POSSIBILITY EXISTS FOR DAMAGING WINDS...HIGH STORM SURGE...AND VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER AT THIS TIME...MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERS
ARE NOT IN EFFECT FOR ANY PORTION OF SOUTHWEST OR SOUTH-CENTRAL
LOUISIANA.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
THE MAIN TORNADO THREAT WILL BE ACROSS SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA. HOWEVER...ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS
SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
TIDES ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING ABOUT ONE FOOT ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE
COAST. KATRINA IS STILL FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL JUST EAST OF GRAND
ISLE LOUISIANA. DEPENDING ON THE EXACT TRACK...A STORM SURGE OF 3 TO
5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE COAST NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE
ATCHAFALAYA RIVER. TIDAL SURGE WILL DECREASE TO 1 TO 2 FEET NEAR
SABINE AND CALCASIEU PASSES.

...WIND IMPACTS...
ACROSS THE LOWER ATCHAFALAYA BASIN...NORTHEAST WINDS HAVE ALREADY
INCREASED TO 15 TO 25 MPH. SUSTAINED WINDS WILL FURTHER INCREASE TO
25 TO 35 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT...THEN 45 TO 65 MPH TOWARD SUNRISE ON
MONDAY. GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MORGAN
CITY...STEPHENSVILLE AND AMELIA AREA MONDAY MORNING. TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE
ATCHAFALAYA BASIN UP TO HENDERSON AND ACROSS SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AS
FAR WEST AS CAMERON.

BASED ON THE EXPECTED WIND SPEEDS AND THE NUMEROUS TREES ACROSS THE
LOWER ATCHAFALAYA BASIN...RESIDENTS IN THESE REGIONS ARE URGED TO BE
CAREFUL OF FALLING TREES. REMEMBER...MOST OF THE DEATHS CAUSED BY
KATRINA AS IT CROSSED SOUTH FLORIDA WERE CAUSED BY FALLING TREES.

ON THE COASTAL WATERS NEAR VERMILION AND ATCHAFALAYA BAYS...
NORTHEAST WINDS WERE RUNNING 20 TO 30 KNOTS THIS EVENING.
SUSTAINED WINDS WILL INCREASE TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE...35 KNOTS...
SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 45 TO 55 KNOTS...WITH
GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE...WILL SPREAD OVER THE COASTAL WATERS NEAR
THE MOUTH OF THE ATCHAFALAYA AROUND SUNRISE ON MONDAY WITH SEAS
UP TO 15 FEET.

ELSEWHERE ACROSS SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO
25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH BY MID-MONDAY MORNING. WIND SPEEDS
ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION WILL BE DECREASING BY MONDAY EVENING.

...RAINFALL...
HEAVY RAINS FROM KATRINA WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE COASTAL PARISHES
OF SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA LATE THIS EVENING. RAINFALL TOTALS FROM
3 TO 5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE LOWER PORTIONS OF SAINT MARY AND
SAINT MARTIN PARISHES WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME FLOODING...WHILE RAINFALL
TOTALS FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE AROUND THE REST OF THE
VERMILION BAY REGION AND THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE ATCHAFALAYA BASIN.
THE HEAVY RAINS WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF MONDAY EVENING.

LESSER RAINFALL AMOUNTS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE BY 2 AM.

$$

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