000 WTUS82 KTAE 130442 HLSTAE FLZ008-012-014>019-026>029-034-GAZ146>148-156>161-GMZ750-755-770- 775-140900- TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 1242 AM EDT TUE JUN 13 2006 ...TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO NEARING THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST... ...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OCCURRING ACROSS APALACHEE BAY... ...NEW INFORMATION... TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO HAS CHANGED LITTLE IN INTENSITY...SIZE...AND MOTION DURING THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS AS IT APPROACHES THE BIG BEND COAST. ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. ...WATCHES/WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS 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 11 PM EDT TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 28.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 84.6 WEST OR ABOUT 95 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA AND ABOUT 105 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF CEDAR KEY. ALBERTO WAS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 10 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 70 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THERE IS STILL A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT ALBERTO COULD BECOME A MINIMAL HURRICANE BEFORE MAKING LANDFALL. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 160 MILES TO THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE CENTER. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... ALL PREPARATIONS SHOULD NOW BE COMPLETED ALONG THE WARNED AREA. HEAVY RAIN IS CURRENTLY AFFECTING MUCH OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND...MAKING TRAVEL DIFFICULT. THE WORST OF THE WEATHER WILL LIKELY OCCUR ACROSS THE WARNED AREA DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...WELL BEFORE THE STORM CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. ...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE... AS OF MIDNIGHT EDT TUESDAY...TIDES WERE GENERALLY 2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS APALACHEE BAY. THE LATEST STORM SURGE MODELS FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER FORECAST A STORM SURGE OF 8 TO 10 FEET ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNED AREA. THESE PEAK SURGE HEIGHTS WILL OCCUR DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS TODAY...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 MONDAY. THE NEXT HIGH TIDE WILL OCCUR AT 737 AM TUESDAY. A HIGH TIDE AT ST MARKS OCCURRED AT 237 PM MONDAY. 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 MONDAY. THE NEXT TWO HIGH TIDES WILL OCCUR AT 846 AM TUESDAY AND 405 PM EDT TUESDAY. ...WINDS... AS OF MIDNIGHT EDT...WINDS AT PERRY AND CROSS CITY WERE OUT OF THE EAST AT ABOUT 15 MPH...WITH GUSTS FROM 20 TO 25 MPH. THE WIND AT CEDAR KEY WAS SOUTHEAST AT 31 MPH GUSTING TO 37 MPH. IT APPEARS THAT THE CENTER HAD JUST PASSED THE APALACHICOLA BUOY IN THE NORTHEAST GULF...AS THE SURFACE WIND SWITCHED FROM SOUTHEAST TO WEST DURING THE PAST HOUR. SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 40 MPH...WITH GUSTS NEAR 60 MPH...ARE OCCURRING ACROSS APALACHEE BAY. THIS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL LATER THIS MORNING. THIS WIND WILL SPREAD INLAND DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...BUT WILL WEAKEN QUITE A BIT OVER LAND. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH...WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE...MAINLY ACROSS TAYLOR AND DIXIE COUNTIES NEAR THE COAST. 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 IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND A PORTION OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 18 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. ...TORNADOS... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF TORNADOES ACROSS NORTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND TONIGHT. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT ON TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY 4 AM EDT. $$ FOURNIER