000 WTUS82 KTAE 110920 HLSTAE GMZ750-755-770-775-FLZ008-012-014-015-018-027-028-111230- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 513 AM EDT SAT JUN 11 2005 ...A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM DESTIN TO INDIAN PASS FLORIDA... ...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FROM DESTIN TO STEINHATCHEE FLORIDA... ...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR INLAND PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE... ...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. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS IS IN EFFECT FOR INLAND PORTIONS OF THE ABOVE COASTAL COUNTIES...AS WELL AS LIBERTY...CALHOUN...JACKSON...WASHINGTON... HOLMES...AND INLAND WALTON COUNTIES. A FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 5 AM EDT...4 AM CDT...TROPICAL STORM ARLENE WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 28.4 DEGREES NORTH...LONGITUDE 87.1 DEGREES WEST. THIS IS ABOUT 170 MILES SOUTH OF MOBILE ALABAMA. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE WAS 991 MB...OR 29.26 INCHES. ARLENE WAS MOVING NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH AND A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH-NORTHWEST ALONG WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED ARE EXPECTED TODAY. THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 70 MPH. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST BEFORE LANDFALL AND ARLENE COULD REACH CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE STRENGTH LATER TODAY. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 160 MILES TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER. ...WIND IMPACTS... ALONG THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH COULD IMPACT THE PANHANDLE COAST...FROM ST. GEORGE ISLAND WESTWARD THIS MORNING...WITH WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH OVER INLAND AREAS. 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. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AND GUSTS HAVE ALREADY REACHED THE COASTAL WATERS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE...AND THESE WINDS WILL CONTINUE SPREADING NORTHWARD DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. SOME AREA WINDS AS OF 5 AM EDT ARE AS FOLLOWS. TALLAHASSEE...EAST AT 17 MPH. PANAMA CITY...EAST AT 20 GUSTING TO 29 MPH. APALACHICOLA...EAST AT 18 GUSTING TO 32 MPH. KEATON BEACH..EAST AT 22 MPH. CEDAR KEY...EAST AT 28 MPH. C TOWER 100 FT ABOVE MSL...43 MPH GUSTING TO 47 MPH. APALACHICOLA BUOY...33 MPH GUSTING TO 42 MPH. PANAMA CITY BUOY...38 MPH GUSTING TO 47 MPH. ...RAINFALL AND FLOOD POTENTIAL INFORMATION... EVEN THOUGH THE CENTER OF ARLENE IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL TO OVER THE WESTERN PANHANDLE...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 OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE STILL POSSIBLE...WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME 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 2 TO 4 FEET ALONG THE SOUTH WALTON BEACHES...AND 1 TO 3 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 BATTERING WAVES...WITH BREAKERS POSSIBLY REACHING 12 TO 15 FEET. 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... SATURDAY: HIGH 6:20 AM...LOW 11:11 AM...HIGH 4:51 PM EDT APALACHICOLA... SATURDAY: HIGH 9:26 AM...LOW 1:30 PM...HIGH 6:07 PM EDT PORT ST JOE... SATURDAY: HIGH 1:12 PM SUNDAY: LOW 12:13 AM EDT SAINT ANDREW BAY AT PANAMA CITY... SATURDAY: HIGH 12:39 PM...LOW 11:53 PM CDT. SUNDAY: HIGH 1:10 PM CDT ...RIP CURRENTS... ONSHORE WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS WILL CREATE A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS THROUGH TODAY. ...TORNADO THREAT... ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBILE TODAY AS ARLENE APPROACHES THE GULF COAST. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHADLE...EXTREME SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...AND SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 5 PM EDT. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AROUND 830 AM EDT (730 AM CDT) THIS MORNING. $$ 17-GOULD