000 WTUS82 KTAE 111552 HLSTAE GMZ750-755-770-775-FLZ007-008-012-014-015-111930- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 1142 AM EDT SAT JUN 11 2005 ...A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF DESTIN TO INDIAN PASS FLORIDA... ...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FROM DESTIN TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER FLORIDA... ...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING EAST OF THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER TO STEINHATCHEE HAS BEEN CANCELLED... ...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE INLAND PORTIONS OF THE COASTAL PANHANDLE COUNTIES IN THE WARNED AREA... ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE INCLUDING WALTON...BAY...GULF...AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES. ...WATCH AND WARNING INFORMATION... A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE FROM EAST OF DESTIN EASTWARD TO INDIAN PASS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE EASTWARD TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS IS IN EFFECT FOR INLAND PORTIONS OF THE ABOVE COASTAL COUNTIES. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM EDT (4 PM CDT). ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 11 AM EDT (10 AM CDT)...TROPICAL STORM ARLENE WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 29.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 87.4 WEST. THIS IS ABOUT 85 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF MOBILE ALABAMA...OR ABOUT 110 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF PANAMA CITY. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE WAS 990 MB. ARLENE WAS MOVING NORTH NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH AND ARLENE WILL MAKE LANDFALL SOMEWHERE NEAR MOBILE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 70 MPH. THERE IS STILL A SLIGHT CHANCE ARLENE COULD BECOME A HURRICANE PRIOR TO LANDFALL. ARLENE IS A RATHER LARGE TROPICAL STORM WITH STORM FORCE WINDS EXTENDING OUTWARD UP TO 150 MILES MAINLY TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER. ...WIND IMPACTS... THE STRONGEST WINDS FROM ARLENE HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED ACROSS NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND THE NORTHEAST GULF. MOST OF THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS HAVE BEEN IN GUSTS OVER THE GULF OR AT APALACHICOLA. WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE PANHANDLE COAST AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS IN SOME OF THE HEAVIER RAIN BANDS THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. HERE ARE SOME LOCAL WIND REPORTS AS OF 10 AM CDT... PANAMA CITY...EAST AT 16 GUSTING TO 25 MPH. APALACHICOLA...SOUTHEAST AT 24 GUSTING TO 38 MPH. GULF C TOWER (100 FT ABOVE MSL)...39 MPH GUSTING TO 45 MPH. APALACHICOLA BUOY...26 MPH GUSTING TO 38 MPH. PANAMA CITY BUOY...26 MPH GUSTING TO 33 MPH. ...RAINFALL AND FLOOD POTENTIAL INFORMATION... SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THAT ARLENE CONTINUES TO WRAP IN QUITE A BIT OF DRY AIR AROUND THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CIRCULATION. THIS SHOULD LIMIT THE THREAT FOR WIDESPREAD FLOODING...BUT LOCAL FLOODING WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY IN SLOW MOVING RAIN BANDS. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... THE HIGHEST STORM SURGE IS PROBABLY OCCURRING THIS MORNING. AS OF 10 AM CDT TIDES WERE RUNNING 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL AT PANAMA CITY... APALACHICOLA...AND CEDAR KEY. THESE STORM SURGE VALUES OF 2 TO 4 FEET SHOULD CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. SOME BEACH EROSION WILL OCCUR IN VULNERABLE LOCATIONS INCLUDING CAPE SAN BLAS DUE TO BATTERING WAVES. THE ROAD TO ALLIGATOR POINT HAD BEEN WASHED OUT. SPECIFIC TIDE FORECASTS FOLLOW... ST MARKS... TODAY: LOW 11:11 AM...HIGH 4:51 PM EDT. APALACHICOLA... TODAY: HIGH 9:26 AM...LOW 1:30 PM...HIGH 6:07 PM EDT PORT ST JOE... TODAY: HIGH 1:12 PM SAINT ANDREW BAY AT PANAMA CITY... TODAY: HIGH 12:39 PM...LOW 11:53 PM CDT. ...RIP CURRENTS... ONSHORE WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS WILL CREATE A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY. ...TORNADO THREAT... ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY ACROSS ALL OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE...SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...AND SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AROUND 330 PM EDT (230 PM CDT) THIS AFTERNOON. $$ FOURNIER