[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTAE 291403
HLSTAE

GMZ750-FLZ008-012-014-015-018-027-028-034-291630-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
957 AM EDT MON AUG 29 2005

...LARGE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA POUNDING
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...
...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE PANHANDLE COAST FROM
DESTIN EASTWARD TO INDIAN PASS FLORIDA...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR RESIDENTS IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN THE EASTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE...COASTAL
WALTON...BAY...AND GULF COUNTIES.

...WATCH AND WARNING INFORMATION...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF DESTIN TO
INDIAN PASS IN GULF COUNTY FLORIDA. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
THE EASTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE.

EVEN THOUGH NOT IN THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING...THE FOLLOWING
FLORIDA COASTAL BIG BEND COUNTIES ARE IN A COASTAL FLOOD WARNING AND
HIGH SURF ADVISORY...
FRANKLIN...WAKULLA...JEFFERSON...TAYLOR...DIXIE

...STORM INFORMATION...
...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 8 AM CDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 29.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.6 WEST...OR ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS. THIS IS ALSO ABOUT 220 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST
OF DESTIN FLORIDA. KATRINA WAS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 15 MPH...
AND THIS MOTION IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE TODAY. HIGHEST SUSTAINED
WINDS WERE NEAR 135 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A STRONG
CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE. KATRINA REMAINS
A VERY LARGE HURRICANE WITH TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTENDING
OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES.

...PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
RESIDENTS IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD NOW BE PREPARED FOR TROPICAL
STORM CONDITIONS...HAVING SECURED LOOSE ITEMS SUCH AS GARBAGE CANS
AND PATIO FURNITURE...AND TAKEN APPROPRIATE STEPS TO PROTECT AGAINST
COASTAL FLOODING. LOW LYING AREAS WILL BE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO
COASTAL FLOODING...ESPECIALLY IN AREAS WHERE THE PROTECTIVE DUNES
HAVE BEEN WASHED AWAY BY PREVIOUS STORMS. MANDATORY EVACUATIONS HAVE
BEEN ORDERED FOR CAPE SAN BLAS IN GULF COUNTY...AND ST GEORGE AND
DOG ISLANDS...ALLIGATOR POINT...AND ALL LOW LYING AREAS SUBJECT TO
COASTAL FLOODING IN FRANKLIN COUNTY.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
HIGH SURF WILL CONTINUE TODAY AS LARGE SWELLS EMANATE FROM THE LARGE
AND POWERFUL KATRINA. WITHIN THE LAST HOUR...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN
WALTON COUNTY REPORTED SURGES UP TO THE EDGE OF THE ROADWAY ON
HIGHWAY 98 WITH WINDS OF 33 KTS AT THE BRIDGE AT ROAD 331. THE
PANAMA CITY BEACH PATROL IN BAY COUNTY REPORTED WATERS HAVE
ENCROACHED INLAND UP TO 20 FEET FROM SHORE CAUSING MAJOR BEACH
EROSION. IN GULF COUNTY...A SMALL ROAD..AT STUMP HOLE AS CLOSED DUE
TO WATER ENCROACHING. A WAKULLA COUNTY WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED HIGH
TIDE UP TO 18 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND SUSTAINED WINDS AT 30 MPH AT
SPRING CREEK AND WATER AT THE BASE OF THE COAST GUARD STATION AT
SHELL POINT. REPORTS FROM THE NORTHEAST GULF BUOYS CONTINUE TO SHOW
HIGH SWELLS...WITH 25 FEET SWELLS FROM THE SOUTH BEING REPORTED AT
THE BUOY 90 MILES SOUTH OF PANAMA CITY. THESE LARGE SWELLS WILL
LIKELY RESULT IN HIGHER SURF ALONG THE COAST. THIS WAVE ACTION...
COUPLED WITH STRONG ONSHORE FLOW MAY PRODUCE TIDES OF 6 TO 8 FEET
ABOVE NORMAL...ESPECIALLY AT HIGH TIDE DURING THIS MORNING. THESE
ABOVE NORMAL TIDES AND HIGH SURF WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE BEACH EROSION
AND COASTAL FLOODING TODAY...ESPECIALLY AT THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE.
THE BEACHES OF WALTON COUNTY ARE CLOSED. THE FOLLOWING ARE TIMES OF
HIGH TIDE FOR SELECTED LOCATIONS...

APALACHICOLA...1037 AM MONDAY MORNING

SAINT ANDREWS BAY AT PANAMA CITY...618 AM CDT MONDAY.

EAST PASS AT DESTIN...648 AM CDT MONDAY.

...WIND IMPACTS...
AT 8 AM CDT WINDS ALONG THE PANHANDLE COAST WERE GENERALLY OUT OF
THE SOUTHEAST AT 20 TO 30 MPH...WITH GUSTS OF 50 MPH WITH A STRONG
WEST TO EAST GRADIENT. SOME SITES INCLUDE...DOWNTOWN MOBILE 42 KTS
GUST 55 KTS...PENSACOLA NAVAL STATION 30 KTS GUSTS 51KTS...DOWNTOWN
PENSACOLA 30 KTS GUSTS 51 KTS...DESTIN 28 KTS GUSTS 44 KTS...PANAMA
CITY 21 KTS GUSTS 29 KTS AND APALACHICOLA 21 KTS GUST 33 KTS. WINDS
OFFSHORE INCLUDE...THE PANAMA CITY BUOY 33 KTS WITH GUSTS 43 KTS.
EVEN THOUGH KATRINA WAS MOVING OVER COASTAL SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AT THIS TIME... SUSTAINED WINDS
OF 40 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS...WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN
PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE LATER TODAY...MAINLY IN SOME OF
THE HEAVIER RAIN BANDS NEAR THE COAST. SUCH WINDS TYPICALLY CAUSE
SEVERAL DOWNED TREE BRANCHES...A FEW DOWNED POWER LINES AND POWER
OUTAGES...TIPPED OVER GARBAGE CANS AND PATIO FURNITURE...AND A FEW
UPROOTED TREES. THESE WINDS WILL PROBABLY PEAK BY LATE MORNING...
THEN SUBSIDE BY LATE AFTERNOON AS KATRINA ACCELERATES INLAND AND
WEAKENS.

...RAINFALL AND FLOOD POTENTIAL...
STORM TOTAL RAINFALL FROM TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY IS EXPECTED TO
RANGE FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES...WITH THE HIGHER AMOUNTS OCCURRING FARTHER
WEST. WHILE WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED...LOCALIZED FLOODING
IS POSSIBLE IF HEAVY RAIN BANDS SET UP OVER A PARTICULAR LOCATION.

...TORNADO THREAT...
SO FAR NO TORNADOES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED ACROSS THE EASTERN PANHANDLE
ALTHOUGH AT LEAST ONE TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN NEIGHBORING SANTA ROSA
AND ESCAMBIA COUNTIES. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE LATER
TODAY...ESPECIALLY LATER THIS MORNING ACROSS THE EASTERN PANHANDLE
IF THERE ARE BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS AND HEATING OCCURS.

...RIP CURRENTS...
ALONG WITH THE HIGH SURF THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP
CURRENTS TODAY. EVERYONE...INCLUDING EXPERIENCED SWIMMERS...SHOULD
STAY OUT OF THE SURF.

THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY 1230 PM EDT (1130 AM CDT).

24-BLOCK

$$

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