[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KJAN 290951
HLSJAN
MSZ025>033-036>039-042>066-072>074-291100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE KATRINA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
450 AM CDT MON AUG 29 2005

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA VERY CLOSE TO THE COAST
LINE OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...

...DETERIORATING CONDITIONS ANTICIPATED ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
THIS MORNING...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO PEOPLE IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSISSIPPI.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
INLAND HURRICANE WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MARION...LAMAR...
FORREST...LINCOLN...LAWRENCE...JEFFERSON DAVIS...COVINGTON...
JONES...COPIAH...SIMPSON...SMITH...JASPER...CLARKE...RANKIN...
HINDS...MADISON...SCOTT...NEWTON...LAUDERDALE...LEAKE...NESHOBA AND
KEMPER COUNTIES.

INLAND HURRICANE WATCHES HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO INLAND HURRICANE
WARNINGS ATTALA...WINSTON...NOXUBEE...CHOCTAW...OKTIBBEHA...
LOWNDES... WEBSTER AND CLAY COUNTIES.

INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR ADAMS...
FRANKLIN...JEFFERSON...CLAIBORNE AND WARREN COUNTIES.

INLAND TROPICAL STORM WATCHES HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO INLAND TROPICAL
STORM WARNINGS FOR GRENADA...CARROLL...MONTGOMERY...HOLMES AND YAZOO
COUNTIES.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN
MISSISSIPPI.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON FOR JEFFERSON DAVIS...
MARION...COVINGTON...FORREST...JONES...AND LAMAR COUNTIES.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 4 AM CDT...THE EYE OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
28.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.6 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 90 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS. KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH
NEAR 15 MPH...AND A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 150 MPH...WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. THIS MAKES KATRINA A STRONG CATEGORY FOUR STORM ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE
ANTICIPATED...BUT KATRINA IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY
FOUR HURRICANE JUST EAST OF GRAND ISLE WITHIN A FEW HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
WHILE THE HURRICANE WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INLAND TODAY...THE
HURRICANE WILL LIKELY STILL BE A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE UP TO THE
HIGHWAY 98 CORRIDOR. KATRINA WILL STILL BE A HURRICANE WELL INTO
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...AND A STRONG TROPICAL STORM AS IT MOVES INTO
NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI.

THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS SITUATION CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASIZED!  WHILE
HURRICANE KATRINA HAS WEAKENED SLIGHTLY...IT IS STILL ALMOST AS
STRONG AS HURRICANE CAMILLE WHEN IT MADE LANDFALL IN 1969. THE
HURRICANE IS EVEN LARGER IN SIZE THAN CAMILLE...MEANING THE
POTENTIAL DAMAGE MAY COVER A MORE EXTENSIVE AREA. IT IS BECOMING
INCREASINGLY LIKELY THAT KATRINA WILL CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ACROSS
PARTS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSISSIPPI ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING SITUATION...DO NOT TAKE IT
LIGHTLY! PEOPLE RESIDING IN HOMES THAT ARE NOT WELL CONSTRUCTED
SHOULD HAVE MOVED TO A SAFER ALTERNATIVE LOCATION TO RIDE THE
PASSAGE OF THE STORM OUT...PARTICULARLY OVER AREAS SOUTH OF
INTERSTATE 20 AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 55 WHERE THE VERY STRONGEST
WINDS COULD OCCUR. PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS OF STATE...COUNTY
AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS WITH REGARD TO EVACUATIONS
AND PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES.

...WIND IMPACTS...
IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20...
WINDS OF 75 TO 100 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS...APPEAR LIKELY. IN
ADDITION TO DOWNING THOUSANDS OF TREES AND CAUSING EXTENSIVE POWER
OUTAGES...THESE WINDS COULD ALSO CAUSE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO
BUILDINGS AND DESTROY LESS WELL CONSTRUCTED STRUCTURES.

IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20...WINDS OF 50
TO 75 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS...WILL LIKELY OCCUR...WITH THE
STRONGEST WINDS ALONG AND EAST OF THE PATH OF THE HURRICANE. IN THE
TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA...WINDS OF 40 TO 60 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
HURRICANE FORCE MAY OCCUR. WIND DAMAGE COULD BE EXTENSIVE IN THESE
AREAS AS WELL...WITH WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES AND DAMAGE TO
STRUCTURES POSSIBLE.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO OVERSPREAD THE BROOKHAVEN
TO HATTIESBURG REGION DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS TODAY...REACH
THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR DURING THE MIDDAY HOURS...AND THE HIGHWAY
82 CORRIDOR TOWARD THE LATE EVENING. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS SHOULD
ARRIVE IN THE PINE BELT REGION DURING THE MIDDAY HOURS WITH THE
WORST CONDITIONS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS MONDAY. A
SEVERAL HOUR PERIOD OF SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE
IN THIS AREA. THE WORST CONDITIONS FOR THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR
WILL LIKELY BE LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT ALTHOUGH THE LANDFALL OF KATRINA
IS LESS THAN 6 HOURS AWAY...SOME CHANGES COULD STILL OCCUR TO THE
FORECAST TRACK. AT THIS TIME...THE MOST LIKELY TRACK FOR THE CENTER
OF THE HURRICANE WOULD BE ALONG A LINE FROM PURVIS...TO RALEIGH...TO
NEAR WEST POINT...BUT REMEMBER...THIS IS A LARGE HURRICANE...AND ITS
EFFECTS WILL BE FELT OVER THE ENTIRE AREA.

...INLAND FLOODING IMPACTS...
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES...WITH LOCALIZED
GREATER AMOUNTS...WILL OCCUR IN THE AREA ALONG AND TO THE EAST OF
THE TRACK. THIS COULD CAUSE URBAN FLOODING AND FLASH FLOODING OF
SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS. RIVER FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BE MINIMAL
UNLESS HEAVIER RAINFALL THAN FORECAST OCCURS.

...INLAND TORNADO IMPACTS...
THE RISK OF TORNADOES WILL EXPAND TO COVER MUCH OF EASTERN AND
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT AS KATRINA MOVES INLAND.
AN ENHANCED RISK OF TORNADOES WILL LIKELY EXIST ALONG AND EAST OF A
MONTICELLO TO COLUMBUS LINE.

...PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM/HURRICANE CONDITIONS...
THE EXPERIMENTAL PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ASSOCIATED
WITH KATRINA FOR JACKSON IS 93 PERCENT. THE PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE
FORCE WINDS IS 37 PERCENT.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT UPDATE WILL BE ISSUED BY 7 AM CDT.

$$

GERARD




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