[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLCH 290702
HLSLCH

LAZ029-033-044-045-051>055-290930-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE KATRINA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
201 AM CDT MON AUG 29 2005

...POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO
APPROACH THE NORTHERN GULF COAST...

...SUSTAINED HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS NEARING THE SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA
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 CAMERON...VERMILION...
IBERIA...LAFAYETTE...SAINT MARTIN...SAINT MARY...AVOYELLES...AND
SAINT LANDRY 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 MIDNIGHT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 27.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.5 WEST...OR ABOUT 168 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. A WIND GUST TO 98 MPH WAS RECENTLY REPORTED
FROM SOUTHWEST PASS LOUISIANA.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE
AIRCRAFT WAS 908 MB...26.81 INCHES. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT
RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING KATRINA.

...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...UPDATED
ACROSS THE LOWER ATCHAFALAYA BASIN...NORTHEAST WINDS HAVE ALREADY
INCREASED TO 15 TO 25 MPH. SUSTAINED WINDS WILL FURTHER INCREASE TO
20 TO 40 MPH BY 3 AM WITH HIGHER GUSTS IN RAIN SQUALLS...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 25 TO 35 KNOTS AROUND 2 AM THIS MORNING.
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 4:30 AM.

$$

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