[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KJAN 291339
HLSJAN
MSZ025>033-036>039-042>066-072>074-291600-

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

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

...KATRINA MAY STILL BE A MAJOR HURRICANE WHEN IT REACHES THE
HIGHWAY 98 CORRIDOR AROUND MIDDAY...

...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...
ATTALA...WINSTON...NOXUBEE...CHOCTAW...OKTIBBEHA... LOWNDES...
WEBSTER...CLAY AND KEMPER COUNTIES.

INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR ADAMS...
FRANKLIN...JEFFERSON...CLAIBORNE...GRENADA...CARROLL...
MONTGOMERY...HOLMES AND YAZOO AND WARREN 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 8 AM CDT...THE EYE OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
29.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.6 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 40 MILES
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 135 MPH...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. THIS MAKES KATRINA A CATEGORY FOUR STORM ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME WEAKENING WILL OCCUR AS THE CENTER MOVES
FARTHER INLAND...BUT KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN AT LEAST A
CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE IS IT MOVES INTO SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
WHILE THE HURRICANE WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INLAND TODAY...THE
HURRICANE MAY VERY WELL STILL BE A CATEGORY THREE 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 A VERY
DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE. A HURRICANE OF THIS INTENSITY HAS
NOT MADE LANDFALL ON THE CENTRAL GULF COAST SINCE HURRICANE CAMILLE
IN 1969.  IT IS 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...
KATRINA MAY STILL BE A MAJOR...CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE WHEN IT
REACHES THE HIGHWAY 98 CORRIDOR AND THE CITIES OF HATTIESBURG...
PURVIS AND COLUMBIA. THIS WOULD MEAN SUSTAINED WINDS IN EXCESS OF
100 MPH...WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 125 MPH POSSIBLE. THIS WOULD CAUSE
CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE...LEVELING TREES...POWER LINES AND POLES...AND
CAUSING EXTENSIVE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.

IN THE REMAINDER OF THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA ALONG AND SOUTH OF
INTERSTATE 20... WINDS OF 75 TO 100 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS...WILL
OCCUR. 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 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 ARE ALREADY BEGINNING TO OVERSPREAD THE
REGION UP TO HIGHWAY 84. A WIND GUST TO 50 MPH WAS RECENTLY REPORTED
AT PINE BELT REGIONAL AIRPORT. TREES AND POWERLINES HAVE BEEN DOWNED
IN THIS AREA. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL 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 SOME CHANGES COULD STILL OCCUR TO
THE FORECAST TRACK. AT THIS TIME...THE MOST LIKELY TRACK FOR THE
CENTER OF THE HURRICANE IS FROM JUST WEST OF 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 WILL LIKELY CAUSE URBAN FLOODING AND FLASH FLOODING
OF SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS. RIVER FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BE
MINIMAL TO MODERATE...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 9 AM CDT.

$$

GERARD

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