[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KJAN 291802
HLSJAN
MSZ025>033-036>039-042>066-072>074-292100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE KATRINA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
100 PM CDT MON AUG 29 2005

...HURRICANE KATRINA CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE ACROSS SOUTHERN
MISSISSIPPI...

...CONDITIONS DETERIORATING RAPIDLY ALONG THE HIGHWAY 84 CORRIDOR...

...SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE OCCURRING ALONG THE HIGHWAY 98 CORRIDOR.

...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS BEING EXPERIENCED ALONG THE INTERSTATE
20 CORRIDOR...

...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 7 PM FOR MUCH OF EASTERN
MISSISSIPPI.

NUMEROUS FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS ARE NOW IN EFFECT ALONG AND SOUTH OF
HIGHWAY 98.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT NOON AM CDT...THE EYE OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 30.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.6 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 40
MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF HATTIESBURG. KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE
NORTH NEAR 17 MPH...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY
AND TONIGHT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. THIS MAKES KATRINA A CATEGORY TWOSTORM ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. TEH STORM WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN AS THE CENTER MOVES FURTHER
INLAND...BUT KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A FORMIDABLE HURRICANE AS
IT MOVES ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
WHILE THE HURRICANE WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INLAND TODAY...THE
HURRICANE WILL REMAIN A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE AS IT MOVES INTO THE
HIGHWAY 84 CORRIDOR AND WILL REMAIN A FORMIDABLE HURRICANE AS IT
APPROACHES THE INTERSTATE 20 LATER THIS AFTERNOON. KEEP IN
MIND...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 BEGUN TO WEAKEN...IT IS STILL A VERY DANGEROUS
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 CONTINUE TO 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 WILL STILL BE A SIGNIFICANT HURRICANE WHEN IT MOVES ACROSS
THE HIGHWAY 98 CORRIDOR AND THE CITIES OF HATTIESBURG... PURVIS AND
COLUMBIA. THIS WOULD MEAN SUSTAINED WINDS IN EXCESS OF 100
MPH...WITH GUSTS NEAR 125 MPH POSSIBLE. THIS WOULD CAUSE
CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE...LEVELING TREES...POWER LINES AND POLES...AND
CAUSING EXTENSIVE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. WIDESPREAD DAMAGE HAS ALREADY
BEEN REPORTED ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI THIS MORNING. MUCH OF THE
AREA ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 98 AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 55 IS
WITHOUT POWER...AND THERE HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO TREES AND
STRUCTURES.

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.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS SHOULD BE ARRIVING IN THE PINE BELT REGION
SHORTLY 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.

...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.
THE RIVER FLOODING IS MAINLY CONFINED TO THE PEARL AND PASCAGOULA
BASINS AT THIS TIME. NUMEROUS FLASH FLOOD WARNING ARE ALREADY IN
EFFECT ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI TODAY...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF
HIGHWAY 84. AST OF 1 PM...RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES HAVE
BEEN COMMON ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 98.

...INLAND TORNADO IMPACTS...
THE RISK OF TORNADOES WILL EXPAND TO COVER MUCH OF EASTERN AND
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI DURING THE MIDDAY AND EVENING HOURS AS KATRINA
CONTINUES TO MOVES INLAND. AN ENHANCED RISK OF TORNADOES WILL LIKELY
EXIST ALONG AND EAST OF A HATTIESBURG TO MERIDIEN TO COLUMBUS LINE.
A TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN PEARL RIVER COUNTY EARLIER THIS MORNING
...AND A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN LAMAR COUNTY AROUND 1230
PM.

...PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM/HURRICANE CONDITIONS...
THE EXPERIMENTAL PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ASSOCIATED
WITH KATRINA FOR JACKSON IS 100 PERCENT. THE PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE
FORCE WINDS IS 37 PERCENT.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT UPDATE WILL BE ISSUED BY 3 PM CDT.

$$

CBD






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