[Tropical] Hurricane Local Statement

[EMWIN Server]

WTUS82 KTBW 091135 CCA
HLSTBW
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-GMZ830-850-853-856-870-
873-876-091530-

HURRICANE DENNIS LOCAL STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
730 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 CHARLOTTE...CITRUS...DE SOTO...
HARDEE...HERNANDO...HIGHLANDS...HILLSBOROUGH...LEE...LEVY...
MANATEE...PASCO...PINELLAS...POLK...SARASOTA AND SUMTER COUNTIES
UNTIL 4 PM

...STORM LOCATION...
AT 7 AM EDT...THE EYE OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 24.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE  83.2 WEST OR ABOUT 190 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF FORT MYERS AND 260 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF TAMPA.
DENNIS IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

WINDS ARE BEGINNING TO INCREASE AND HAVE REACHED 105 MPH...WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. DENNIS IS NOW A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-
SIMPSON SCALE.  SOME RE-STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24
HOURS.

...TORNADO IMPACTS...
THE PRIMARY AREA FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT IN TROPICAL SYSTEMS IS THE
RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT OF THE STORM. AS DENNIS MOVES OVER THE GULF OF
MEXICO TODAY THE REGION WILL REMAIN IN THAT PORTION OF THE
STORM WITH A TORNADO THREAT CONTINUING THOUGH THE DAY.

A TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN BRADENTON AND ST
PETERSBURG. ADDITIONALLY...SEVERAL REPORTS OF WATERSPOUTS HAVE BEEN
RECEIVED. REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS 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.

A STRONG RAINBAND IS MOVING NORTH ACROSS THE AREA WITH WIND DAMAGE
REPORTED IN BRANDON AND PINELLAS PARK. A 44 MPH WIND GUST WAS
RECENTLY REPORTED IN PALM HARBOR AT 715 AM. A FEW POWER OUTAGES HAVE
BEEN REPORTED.

...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. ADDITIONALLY...VENICE HAS REPORTED
1.93 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE MIDNIGHT AND FORT MYERS HAS REPORTED 2.14
INCHES SINCE MIDNIGHT.

...MARINE IMPACTS...
SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO BUILD TO 12 TO 14 FEET NEAR SHORE AND 15 TO 18
FEET WELL OFFSHORE. LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ARE EXPECTED
ALONG AREA BEACHES WITH BREAKING WAVES OF 6 TO 8 FEET WITH 10 FOOT
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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