[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTBW 091059
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-GMZ830-850-853-856-870-
873-876-091530-

HURRICANE DENNIS LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
700 AM EDT SAT JUL 9 2005

...HURRICANE DENNIS NOW OVER THE SOUTHEAST GULF OF MEXICO...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH IN LEE
COUNTY NORTHWARD TO SUWANNEE RIVER IN LEVY COUNTY...
...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 627 IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR CHARLOTTE...
CITRUS...DE SOTO...HARDEE...HERNANDO...HIGHLANDS...HILLSBOROUGH...
LEE...LEVY...MANATEE...PASCO...PINELLAS...POLK...SARASOTA AND SUMTER
COUNTIES UNTIL 4 PM...

...NEW INFORMATION...
TORNADO WATCH 627 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MOST OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA
THROUGH 4 PM.  THE CORE OF HURRICANE DENNIS IS NOW OVER THE SOUTHEAST
GULF OF MEXICO.

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
CITRUS...CHARLOTTE...DE SOTO...HERNANDO...HILLSBOROUGH...LEE...
LEVY...MANATEE...PASCO...PINELLAS...SARASOTA...HARDEE...
HIGHLANDS...POLK...SUMTER...

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM BONITA BEACH NORTH TO
TO THE SUWANNEE RIVER.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MANATEE...HARDEE...HIGHLANDS...
SARASOTA...DE SOTO...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES UNTIL 9 AM...

...STORM LOCATION...
AT 5 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 23.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.9 WEST OR ABOUT 195 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF FORT MYERS. THIS IS ALSO ABOUT 280 MILES SOUTH OF THE
TAMPA BAY REGION.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
THE PRIMARY AREA FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT IN TROPICAL SYSTEMS IS THE
RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT OF THE STORM. AS DENNIS MOVES NORTHWESTWARD
OVER THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO TODAY...THAT PART OF THE STORM WILL
AFFECT WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THEREFORE INCREASING THE
TORNADO THREAT FOR THE AREA.

STAY TUNED FOR ADDITIONAL TORNADO WATCHES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

...WIND IMPACTS...
DENNIS WILL MOVE NORTHWEST ACROSS THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO
TODAY INTO SUNDAY PRODUCING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OVER
THE COASTAL WATERS...WITH GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE POSSIBLE OVER THE
OUTER WATERS.  TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL SPREAD OVER CHARLOTTE
AND LEE COUNTIES AFTER SUNRISE...SARASOTA AND MANATEE COUNTIES BY
NOON...OVER THE TAMPA BAY AREA BY EARLY EVENING...AND THE NATURE
COAST BY MIDNIGHT. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR AT THE IMMEDIATE
COAST.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
AS DENNIS MOVES NORTHWESTWARD WINDS WILL BECOME ONSHORE THIS
AFTERNOON AND WATER LEVELS WILL BEGIN TO RISE LATER TODAY. WATER
LEVELS ARE EXPECT TO RISE 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. THE TIMING OF
THE PEAK WATER LEVELS WILL BE IN THE EVENING FOR FORT MYERS...AROUND
MIDNIGHT FOR TAMPA BAY...AND AROUND 3 AM FOR CEDAR KEY. THE HIGHEST
WATER WILL BE ON SOUTH FACING EXPOSURES.

...FLOOD IMPACTS...
THE CURRENT FORECAST MOVEMENT OF DENNIS WILL BRING OCCASIONAL BANDS
OF TORRENTIAL RAIN...BECOMING MOST FREQUENT THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AS THE CENTER PASSES BY. ADDITIONAL DOWNPOURS WILL OCCUR
SUNDAY AS A FINAL BROAD FEEDER BAND PASSES THROUGH.

STORM TOTALS WILL RANGE FROM 5 TO 10 INCHES FROM LEE COUNTY TO
PINELLAS COUNTY...AND 4 TO 8 INCHES FURTHER NORTH AND INLAND OVER
SUMTER...POLK AND HIGHLANDS COUNTIES. SEVERAL RIVERS IN CENTRAL
FLORIDA REMAIN NEAR OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE...AND ANY ADDITIONAL RAINS
WILL PERPETUATE FLOODING IN THESE AREAS. HOWEVER...ONLY MINOR
FLOODING IS EXPECTED.

THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER IN ARCADIA HAS REPORTED 3.5 INCHES OF
RAIN OVER THE PAST 12 HOURS AND VENICE HAS HAD 1.93 INCHES OF RAIN
SINCE MIDNIGHT.

...MARINE IMPACTS...
CURRENT GUIDANCE SUGGESTS SEAS WILL BUILD TO 12 TO 14 FEET
NEAR SHORE AND 15 TO 18 FEET WELL OFFSHORE. LARGE AND DANGEROUS
BATTERING WAVES ARE ALSO EXPECTED ALONG AREA BEACHES WITH BREAKING
WAVES OF 6 TO 8 FEET WITH 10 FEET SETS PRODUCING DANGEROUS RIP
CURRENTS AND MODERATE BEACH EROSION. MARINERS SHOULD POSTPONE TRAVEL
UNTIL AFTER DENNIS MOVES INLAND AND WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE. SMALL
CRAFT SHOULD PLAN TO REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL CONDITIONS IMPROVE.

SUNDAY WILL SEE IMPROVING WEATHER BUT EXPECT RESIDUAL WAVES OF 4 TO
6 FEET CAUSING STRONG RIP CURRENTS AND BEACH EROSION.

...NEXT STATEMENT...
THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN RUSKIN WILL BE ISSUED BETWEEN 1100 AND 1130 AM OR EARLIER SHOULD
CONDITIONS WARRANT.

$$

SANDRIK/NOAH

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