[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KLCH 290946
HLSLCH

LAZ029-051-052-291130-

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

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE KATRINA MOVING
   NORTHWARD TOWARD SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA AND THE NORTHERN GULF
   COAST...

...TROPICAL STORM-FORCE WINDS LASHING THE GULF COAST FROM
   SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA TO THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER...

...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 TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FROM
WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA INCLUDING
VERMILION...ST MARY AND IBERIA PARISH.

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 TODAY 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 TODAY FOR IBERIA...SAINT MARY...AND SAINT
MARTIN PARISHES. THREE TO FIVE INCHES OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THIS
AREA THROUGH THIS 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 28.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.6 WEST...OR ABOUT 115 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA.

KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 15 MPH...AND THIS MOTION IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY. A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST IS
AT A SLIGHTLY FASTER FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT AND ON
TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...KATRINA WILL MOVE ONSHORE THE
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA COAST JUST EAST OF GRAND ISLE THIS MORNING...
AND REACH THE LOUISIANA-MISSISSIPPI BORDER AREA THIS AFTERNOON.
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO STEADILY DETERIORATE OVER CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA...SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA
THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 150 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA
IS A STRONG CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME
FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY PRIOR TO LANDFALL...BUT KATRINA
IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE.

KATRINA REMAINS A VERY LARGE HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES. RECENTLY...A SUSTAINED WIND
OF 53 MPH WITH GUST TO 91 MPH WAS REPORTED AT GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA
...AND A WIND GUST TO 71 MPH WAS REPORTED IN NEW ORLEANS.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE
AIRCRAFT WAS 915 MB...27.02 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...UPDATED
ACROSS THE LOWER ATCHAFALAYA BASIN...NORTHEAST WINDS HAVE ALREADY
INCREASED TO 25 TO 35 MPH. SUSTAINED WINDS WILL FURTHER INCREASE TO
45 TO 65 MPH TOWARD SUNRISE. GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE WILL BE
POSSIBLE IN THE MORGAN CITY...STEPHENSVILLE AND AMELIA AREA THIS
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 4 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 THIS MORNING 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-MORNING. WIND SPEEDS ACROSS THE
ENTIRE REGION WILL BE DECREASING BY THIS EVENING.

...RAINFALL...
HEAVY RAINS FROM KATRINA WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE COASTAL PARISHES
OF SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA THIS MORNING. RAINFALL TOTALS FROM
2 TO 4 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 THIS 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 6:30 AM.

$$

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