000 WTUS82 KTAE 130040 HLSTAE FLZ007>019-026>029-034-GMZ750-755-770-775-130500- TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 840 PM EDT MON JUN 12 2006 ...TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO MOVING CLOSER TO THE NORTHWESTERN GULF COAST OF FLORIDA... ...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS NEARING THE WARNING AREAS... ....NEW INFORMATION... UPDATED INFORMATION ON WINDS...TIDES...RAINFALL AND STORM COORDINATES. ...AREAS AFFECTED...THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR RESIDENTS OF OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND EASTERN SECTION OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. ...WATCHES/WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WARNING CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA FROM LONGBOAT KEY TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER. THIS INCLUDES DIXIE...TAYLOR...JEFFERSON AND WAKULLA COUNTIES. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER TO INDIAN PASS...WHICH INCLUDES FRANKLIN COUNTY. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND. A FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND A PORTION OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR BAY AND COASTAL WALTON COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 8 PM EDT TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 28.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 84.9 WEST OR ABOUT 120 MILES SOUTH OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA AND ABOUT 130 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CEDAR KEY FLORIDA. ALBERTO WAS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 8 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION...ACCOMPANIED BY A GRADUAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED...IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 70 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WHILE SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE POSSIBLE PRIOR TO LAND FALL... ALBERTO STILL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME A MINIMAL HURRICANE BEFORE REACHING THE FLORIDA GULF COAST. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES TO THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE CENTER. SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AND DOPPLER RADAR DATA INDICATE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE LOCATED JUST OFFSHORE FROM THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND. CONDITIONS ARE ALREADY DETERIORATING IN THE WARNED AREA. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... RESIDENTS ALONG THE BIG BEND COAST SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE LATEST ADVISORIES FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER. THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK WOULD PLACE MOST OF THE BIG BEND ON THE WEAKER SIDE OF THE STORM...BUT THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE PATH OF ALBERTO. PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. ...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE... AS OF 8 PM EDT MONDAY...TIDES WERE RUNNING ABOUT TWO TO THREE FEET ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE APALACHEE BAY COAST. THE LATEST STORM SURGE MODELS FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER FORECAST A STORM SURGE OF 6 TO 8 FEET ACROSS DIXIE COUNTY. STORM SURGE ALONG THE COAST OF TAYLOR COUNTY...WAKULLA COUNTY...OCHLOCKONEE BAY AND ACROSS APALACHICOLA BAY ARE FORECAST TO BE 4 TO 6 FEET. THESE PEAK STORM SURGE HEIGHTS WILL OCCUR IN THE PRE-DAWN HOURS TUESDAY AND WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. RESIDENTS IN THE NORMALLY FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO PREVENT PROPERTY DAMAGE...AND KNOW WHERE TO GO SHOULD AN EVACUATION BE NEEDED. A HIGH TIDE AT THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER OCCURRED AT 543 PM TODAY. THE NEXT HIGH TIDE WILL OCCUR AT 737 AM TUESDAY. A HIGH TIDE AT ST MARKS OCCURRED AT 237 PM TODAY. THE NEXT TWO HIGH TIDES WILL BE AT 447 AM TUESDAY AND AT 318 PM EDT TUESDAY. A HIGH TIDE AT APALACHICOLA OCCURRED AT 313 PM TODAY. THE NEXT TWO HIGH TIDES WILL OCCUR AT 846 AM TUESDAY AND 405 PM EDT TUESDAY. ...WINDS... AS OF 8 PM EDT...WINDS ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST WERE EAST TO NORTHEAST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 25 MPH. WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WERE 25 TO 35 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 40 KNOTS AND SEAS AT THE PANAMA CITY BUOY AT 12 FEET AND 18 FEET AT THE APALACHICOLA BUOY. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE TO 45 TO 55 KNOTS OVER APALACHEE BAY LATER TONIGHT WITH SEAS INCREASING TO 18 TO 23 FEET. ALONG THE COAST...WINDS AND SEAS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE THIS EVENING...REACHING SUSTAINED SPEEDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH LATER TONIGHT AND DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON TUESDAY...MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST BIG BEND. WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH CAN CAUSE LARGE TREE BRANCHES TO FALL...AS WELL AS A FEW TREES. UNSECURED ITEMS LIKE PATIO FURNITURE AND TRASH CANS MAY BE BLOWN OVER OR DISPLACED. SPORADIC...BRIEF POWER OUTAGES WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. DRIVING LARGE PROFILE VEHICLES CAN BE DIFFICULT IN THESE CONDITIONS. ...INLAND FLOODING... A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND A PORTION OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY WILL AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES ACROSS THE BIG BEND...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS TO 5 INCHES POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS TAYLOR AND DIXIE COUNTIES. THROUGH 8 PM EDT CROSS CITY HAS RECEIVED 1.08 INCHES OF RAIN AND PERRY FLORIDA HAS REPORTED 0.47 INCHES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE 1 TO 2 INCHES WITH UP TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL. FLOODING CAN BE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT... AND MANY TROPICAL STORM RELATED DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED WHEN MOTORISTS TRIED TO CROSS STANDING WATER. ...PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE/TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS... TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO MAY BECOME A MINIMAL HURRICANE BEFORE LAND FALL TUESDAY MORNING. CONTINUE TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS. ...TORNADO... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF TORNADOES ACROSS THE EASTERN FLORIDA BIG BEND THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT ON TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY MIDNIGHT EDT OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. $$ BARRY