[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS84 KJAN 291916
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...

...110 MPH WIND GUST REPORTED IN LAUREL AT 200 PM...

...NUMEROUS REPORTS OF WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF HOURS...

...CORE OF STRONGEST WINDS POUNDING THE HIGHWAY 84 CORRIDOR...

...SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE REPORTED 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 31.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.6 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 20
MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF HATTIESBURG. KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE
NORTH NEAR 18 MPH...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY
AND TONIGHT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 95 MPH...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. THIS MAKES KATRINA A CATEGORY ONE STORM ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. THE STORM WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN AS THE CENTER MOVES FURTHER
INLAND...BUT KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A FORMIDABLE HURRICANE AS
IT MOVES ACROSS EASTERN MISSISSIPPI.

A SURFACE PRESSURE OF 28.06 INCHES OR 951 MILLIBARS WAS RECENTLY
RECORDED IN MARION COUNTY.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
WHILE THE HURRICANE WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INLAND TODAY...THE
STRONGEST CORE OF HURRICANE FORCE WINDS IS POUNDING THE HIGHWAY 84
AND INTERSTATE 59 CORRIDORS. KATRINA WILL ALSO REMAIN A FORMIDABLE
HURRICANE AS IT APPROACHES THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR 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. 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 HAS ALREADY DONE SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ALONG THE
HIGHWAY 98 CORRIDOR AND REPORTS OF TREE AND POWER LINE DAMAGE ARE
WIDESPREAD. RECENTLY...KATRINA HAS BEGUN TO POUND THE HIGHWAY 84
CORRIDOR IN THE VICINITY OF LAUREL AND WAYNESBORO. A WIND GUST TO
110 MPH WAS RECENTLY REPORTED NEAR LAUREL BEFORE THE ANEMOMETER
BECAME INOPERABLE. SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 90 MPH...WITH GUSTS NEAR 110
MPH WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH LATE
AFTERNOON.

THIS WOULD CAUSE EXTENSIVE 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 90 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 ARE NOW ARRIVING IN THE PINE BELT REGION WITH
THE WORST CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOUR. 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. AS OF 2 PM...RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES HAVE BEEN
COMMON ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 84.

...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 MERIDIAN 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 4 PM CDT.

$$

CBD







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