000 WTUS82 KTAE 130710 HLSTAE FLZ008-012-014>019-026>029-034-GAZ146>148-156>161-GMZ750-755-770- 775-131300- TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 310 AM EDT TUE JUN 13 2006 ...TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WEAKENS SLIGHTLY AS IT NEARS THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST... ...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OCCURRING ACROSS APALACHEE BAY... ...NEW INFORMATION... TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WEAKENED SLIGHTLY SINCE 11 PM EDT MONDAY... BUT IT CONTINUES ON ITS NORTHEASTWARD TRACK TOWARD THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST. WIND GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE WERE BEING REPORTED ACROSS THE NORTHEAST GULF AND PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND. ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND 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 IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR BAY AND COASTAL WALTON COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 2 AM EDT TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 28.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 84.4 WEST OR ABOUT 85 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. THIS WILL PUT THE CENTER OF ALBERTO AT THE COAST LATER THIS MORNING. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE NEAR 65 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THERE IS STILL A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT ALBERTO COULD RE-STRENGTHEN A LITTLE BEFORE MAKING LANDFALL. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...MAINLY TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE CENTER. THE ESTIMATED LOWEST PRESSURE WAS 995 MB...OR 29.38 INCHES. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... ALL PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN THE WARNED AREA. HEAVY RAIN IS CURRENTLY AFFECTING MUCH OF SOUTH GEORGIA...NORTH FLORIDA...AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE BIG BEND...MAKING TRAVEL DIFFICULT. THE WORST OF THE WEATHER WILL LIKELY OCCUR IN 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 2 AM EDT...TIDES WERE GENERALLY ABOUT 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ALONG THE COAST OF APALACHEE BAY. A STORM SURGE OF 8 TO 10 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNED AREA. THIS WILL OCCUR DURING THE MORNING HOURS TODAY...AND COULD CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. RESIDENTS REMAINING IN NORMALLY FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE SITUATION...AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. A HIGH TIDE WILL OCCUR AT THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER AT 737 AM TODAY. THE NEXT HIGH TIDES AT ST MARKS WILL BE AT 447 AM AND AT 318 PM EDT TODAY. THE NEXT HIGH TIDES AT APALACHICOLA WILL OCCUR AT 846 AM AND 405 PM EDT TODAY. ...WINDS... A FEW WEATHER STATIONS HAVE RECENTLY REPORTED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. A GUST TO 44 MPH WAS REPORTED AT THE TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL AIRPORT AT 108 AM EDT...AS A RAIN BAND FROM ALBERTO MOVED THROUGH OVER THE AREA. AT 2 AM THE SUSTAINED WIND AT CEDAR KEY WAS 35 MPH...WITH A GUST TO 41 MPH. THE C TOWER IN APALACHEE BAY HAD A SUSTAINED WIND OF 47 MPH WITH A GUST TO 54 MPH...BUT THE WIND INSTRUMENT IS 100 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE WHERE WIND SPEEDS CAN BE QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN THE SURFACE. AT 245 AM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AT TALLAHASSEE SHOWED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WELL ABOVE THE SURFACE OVER APALACHEE BAY...BUT THERE WERE NOT A LOT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE STORM CENTER. SUCH STORMS ARE NEEDED TO TRANSPORT THE STRONGER WINDS ALOFT DOWN TO THE SURFACE...AS WAS THE CASE WHEN THE HEAVY RAINS MOVED OVER THE FLORIDA BIG BEND EARLIER TONIGHT...CAUSING SPORADIC POWER OUTAGES ACROSS LEON COUNTY. IF MORE RAIN BANDS DEVELOP NEAR THE STORM CENTER...THEN THE LIKELIHOOD OF GETTING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ACROSS THE BIG BEND WOULD INCREASE. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE COAST OF APALACHEE BAY...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WIND GUSTS OF 40 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 REMAIN POSSIBLE. DRIVING LARGE PROFILE VEHICLES CAN BE DIFFICULT IN THESE CONDITIONS. ...INLAND FLOODING... A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 18 HOURS. DURING THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS THE TALLAHASSEE RADAR ESTIMATES 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...WITH ISOLATED HEAVY AMOUNTS. SO FAR NO FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED...BUT IT REMAINS POSSIBLE IF HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP NEAR THE CENTER OF ALBERTO. FLOODING CAN BE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT... AND MANY TROPICAL STORM RELATED DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED WHEN MOTORISTS TRIED TO CROSS STANDING WATER. ...TORNADOS... SO FAR NO TORNADOES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED OVER THE FLORIDA BIG BEND...BUT THERE REMAINS A SLIGHT RISK OF TORNADOES THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT ON TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY 7 AM EDT. $$ FOURNIER