000 WTUS82 KTAE 131021 HLSTAE FLZ008-012-014>019-026>029-034-GAZ146>148-156>161-GMZ750-755-770- 775-131500- TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 621 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 CHANGED LITTLE SINCE 2 AM EDT... AND CONTINUES ON ITS NORTHEASTWARD TRACK TOWARD THE COAST. ...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 REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER TO INDIAN PASS...WHICH INCLUDES FRANKLIN COUNTY. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS 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 5 AM EDT TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 29.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 84.2 WEST OR ABOUT 65 MILES WEST OF CEDAR KEY. ALBERTO WAS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 9 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO TAKE ALBERTO TO 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...BUT NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN STORM SURGE OR POTENTIAL WIND DAMAGE. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES. THE LOWEST PRESSURE WAS 995 MB...OR 29.38 INCHES. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... ALL PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN THE WARNED AREA. RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS ARE CURRENTLY AFFECTING MUCH OF THE COASTAL AREAS OF THE BIG BEND...MAKING TRAVEL DIFFICULT. PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. ...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE... AT 5 AM EDT THE TIDE AT CEDAR KEY WAS ABOUT 3.5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. HOWEVER AT APALACHICOLA...WHERE THE WIND HAS BEEN BLOWING OFFSHORE DURING THE NIGHT...THE TIDE WAS ONLY ABOUT A FOOT ABOVE NORMAL. A STORM SURGE OF 7 TO 9 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNED AREA...MAINLY EAST AND SOUTH OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. IF THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL ACROSS TAYLOR OR DIXIE COUNTY AS EXPECTED...THE HIGHEST SURGE WOULD NOT AFFECT JEFFERSON...WAKULLA...AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES. HOWEVER...RESIDENTS ALONG THE COAST IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT...IN CASE ALBERTO CHANGES COURSE UNEXPECTEDLY. 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. AS OF 5 AM EDT THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF COASTAL FLOODING FROM APALACHICOLA TO THE SUWANEE RIVER. ...WINDS... STATIONS ALONG THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST AND IN APALACHEE BAY HAVE BEEN REPORTING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. AT 6 AM EDT THE SUSTAINED WIND WAS SOUTH AT 40 MPH AT CEDAR KEY. AT KEATON BEACH (IN SOUTHERN TAYLOR COUNTY) THE SUSTAINED WIND WAS NORTHEAST AT 21 MPH GUSTING TO 25 MPH. AT THE APALACHICOLA BUOY...ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH OF THE CENTER OF ALBERTO...THE WIND WAS WEST AT 38 MPH GUSTING TO 47 MPH. THE C TOWER IN APALACHEE BAY...JUST WEST OF THE STORM CENTER...HAD A SUSTAINED WIND OUT OF THE NORTH AT 39 MPH WITH A GUSTS TO 46 MPH...BUT THE WIND INSTRUMENT IS 100 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE WHERE WIND SPEEDS CAN BE QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN THE SURFACE. AT 615 AM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AT TALLAHASSEE SHOWED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WELL ABOVE THE SURFACE OVER APALACHEE BAY AND PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND. HEAVY RAIN BANDS NEAR THE CENTER OF ALBERTO WILL PRODUCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH AS THEY TRANSPORT THE STRONGER WINDS ALOFT DOWN TO THE SURFACE. SOME SPORADIC POWER OUTAGES AND DOWNED TREES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ACROSS LEON COUNTY...AND CAUTION SHOULD BE USED WHILE DRIVING THIS MORNING AS DOWNED TREES AND LIMBS MAY BE DIFFICULT TO SEE WHILE IT IS DARK. 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 HOURS OR SO. 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 EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT ON TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY 10 AM EDT. $$ FOURNIER