000 WTUS82 KTAE 102142 HLSTAE FLZ008-012-014-015-018-027-028-110130- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 531 PM EDT FRI JUN 10 2005 ...A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER TO INDIAN PASS FLORIDA... ...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE COAST AND IS NOW EXTENDED EAST TO STEINHATCHEE FLORIDA. ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE INCLUDING WALTON...BAY...GULF...FRANKLIN... WAKULLA...JEFFERSON AND TAYLOR COUNTIES. ...WATCH AND WARNING INFORMATION... A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE EASTWARD TO PANAMA CITY. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND EASTWARD TO STEINHATCHEE. A FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN PARTS OF THE WARNED AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 4 PM CDT...5PM EDT...TROPICAL STORM ARLENE WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 25.7 DEGREES NORTH...LONGITUDE 85.2 DEGREES WEST. THIS IS ABOUT 280 MILES SOUTH OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA. ARLENE WAS MOVING NORTH NEAR 17 MPH AND A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 18 HOURS. THE HIGHEST SUSTAINED WINDS WERE NEAR 65 MPH. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS AND ARLENE COULD REACH HURRICANE STRENGTH BEFORE LANDFALL. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 150 MILES TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER. THE CENTER OF ARLENE IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL SOMEWHERE FORM THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI COAST TO PENSACOLA EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...MOST OF THE BAD WEATHER...IN THE FORM OF HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG WINDS...WILL OCCUR EAST OF THE CENTER. ...WIND IMPACTS... IF THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK HOLDS TRUE... THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH COULD REACH THE PANHANDLE COAST...FROM CAPE SAN BLAS WESTWARD AS EARLY AS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THESE WINDS COULD BE HIGHER AND COULD EXTEND FURTHER EAST INTO THE COASTAL AREAS OF THE BIG BEND SHOULD ARLENE STRENGTHEN AND MOVE SLIGHTLY FURTHER EAST THAN THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK. ...RAINFALL AND FLOOD POTENTIAL INFORMATION... EVEN THOUGH THE CENTER OF ARLENE IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL TO OVER THE WESTERN PANHANDLE OR SO... A LARGE SWATH OF HEAVY RAIN WILL BE LIKELY TO THE EAST... ACROSS ALL OF THE PANHANDLE...MUCH OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND INTO SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED 7 INCH TOTALS POSSIBLE. LOCALIZED AND RIVER FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... IF THE STORM FOLLOWS THE FORECAST TRACK...THE STORM SURGE WILL BE ABOUT 3 TO 5 FEET ALONG THE SOUTH WALTON BEACHES...AND 2 TO 4 FEET FURTHER EASTWARD ACROSS BAY...GULF AND WAKULLA COUNTIES. THE TAYLOR COUNTY COAST SHOULD SEE SLIGHTLY LOWER STORM TIDES... UP TO 3 FEET. SOME BEACH EROSION WILL OCCUR IN VULNERABLE LOCATIONS INCLUDING CAPE SAN BLAS DUE TO HEAVY WAVE ACTION. IF ARLENE INTENSIFIES AND MAKES LANDFALL FARTHER EAST IN THE WATCH AREA...THEN THE STORM SURGE COULD BE 4 TO 6 FEET...MAINLY FROM PANAMA CITY WESTWARD. CURRENTLY TIDES ARE RUNNING A FOOT OR LESS ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE PANHANDLE COAST. NORMAL ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDES WILL OCCUR DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON OVER THE WESTERN PANHANDLE AND COULD ADD TO THE STORM TIDE LEVELS SPECIFIC TIDE FORECASTS FOLLOWS... ST MARKS... TONIGHT: LOW 11:44 PM SATURDAY: HIGH 6:20 AM...LOW 11:11 AM EDT APALACHICOLA... TONIGHT: 5:16 PM EDT SATURDAY: LOW 1:46 AM EDT...HIGH 9:26 AM EDT...LOW 1:30 PM EDT PORT ST JOE... TONIGHT: LOW 11:53 PM SATURDAY: HIGH 1:12 PM SAINT ANDREW BAY AT PANAMA CITY... TODAY: HIGH 12:08 PM...LOW 11:33 PM. SATURDAY: HIGH 12:39 PM...LOW 11:53 PM. ...RIP CURRENTS... ONSHORE WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS WILL CREATE MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY...AND A HIGH RISK ON SATURDAY. ...TORNADO THREAT... ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE A POSSIBILITY BY EARLY MORNING SATURDAY AS ARLENE APPROACHES THE GULF COAST. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN NOW BEFORE THE WEATHER DETERIORATES. STORE LOOSE ITEMS SUCH AS TRASH CANS OR YARD FURNITURE. POWER OUTAGES MAY OCCUR DUE TO STRONG WIND GUSTS. STOCK UP ON BATTERIES...FLASHLIGHTS... WATER...AND NON-PERISHABLE FOOD. HAVE CASH ON HAND...AS CREDIT CARDS AND ATM MACHINES MAY NOT WORK WITHOUT POWER. BOATS SHOULD BE MOVED TO A SAFE LOCATION OR SECURED PROPERLY. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY 730 PM CDT (830 EDT) THIS EVENING. $$ GOREE $$