000 WTUS82 KTAE 110326 HLSTAE GMZ750-755-770-775-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-110700- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TROPICAL STORM ARLENE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 1123 PM EDT FRI JUN 10 2005 ...A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM PASCAGOULA TO DESTIN... ...A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM DESTIN TO INDIAN PASS FLORIDA... ...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FROM GRANDE ISLE LOUISIANA TO STEINHATCHEE FLORIDA... ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND 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 FROM DESTIN EASTWARD TO INDIAN PASS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND COASTAL COUNTIES 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 THE WARNED AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 11 PM EDT...10 PM CDT...TROPICAL STORM ARLENE WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 27.1 DEGREES NORTH...LONGITUDE 86.1 DEGREES WEST. THIS IS ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE WAS 989 MB...OR 29.21 INCHES. ARLENE WAS MOVING NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 16 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS...WITH SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN FORWARD SPEED. THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE REMAIN NEAR 70 MPH. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 18 HOURS AND ARLENE COULD REACH CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE STRENGTH BEFORE LANDFALL. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 160 MILES TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER. THE CENTER OF ARLENE IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL SOMEWHERE FROM THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI COAST TO PENSACOLA EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...THE MOST SIGNIFICANT INCLEMENT WEATHER...IN THE FORM OF HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG WINDS...WILL OCCUR TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER. ...WIND IMPACTS... ALONG THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK...THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 40 TO 60 MPH COULD REACH THE PANHANDLE COAST...FROM ST. GEORGE ISLAND WESTWARD BY SATURDAY MORNING. THESE WINDS COULD BE HIGHER AND EXTEND FURTHER EASTWARD INTO THE COASTAL AREAS OF THE BIG BEND SHOULD ARLENE MOVE SLIGHTLY FURTHER EAST THAN THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK. WINDS GUSTING TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE HAVE ALREADY REACHED THE BUOYS 60 TO 70 NM OFFSHORE OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...AND THESE WINDS WILL CONTINUE SPREADING NORTHWARD DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. SOME AREA WINDS AS OF 11 PM EDT ARE AS FOLLOWS: TALLAHASSEE: EAST AT 12 MPH. PANAMA CITY: EAST AT 16 MPH. APALACHICOLA: NORTHEAST AT 14 MPH. KEATON BEACH: NORTHEAST AT 16 MPH. CEDAR KEY: EAST AT 25 MPH. C TOWER 100 FT ABOVE MSL: 38 MPH GUSTING TO 42 MPH. APALACHICOLA BUOY: 33 MPH GUSTING TO 47 MPH. PANAMA CITY BUOY: 36 MPH GUSTING TO 43 MPH. ...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 AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED 10 INCH TOTALS POSSIBLE. THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AS WELL AS AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS. ...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...OF 1 TO 2 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 EVEN HIGHER...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... 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: LOW 11:33 PM. SATURDAY: HIGH 12:39 PM...LOW 11:53 PM. ...RIP CURRENTS... ONSHORE WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS WILL CREATE A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS THROUGH SATURDAY. ...TORNADO THREAT... ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE A POSSIBILITY DURING THE DAY SATURDAY AS ARLENE APPROACHES THE GULF COAST. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE NEAR COMPLETION WITH THE APPROACH OF ARLENE IMMINENT. 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 AROUND 230 AM EDT (130 AM CDT) THIS MORNING. $$ 17-GOULD