000 WTUS82 KTAE 131557 HLSTAE FLZ008-012-014>019-026>029-034-GAZ146>148-156>161-GMZ750-755-770- 775-131900- TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 1157 AM EDT TUE JUN 13 2006 ...TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO ABOUT TO MAKE LANDFALL NEAR THE FLORIDA BIG BEND... ...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OCCURRING ACROSS APALACHEE BAY... ...NEW INFORMATION... THE HURRICANE WARNING IS CHANGED TO A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA FROM BAYPORT NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER. TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WILL SOON MAKE LANDFALL NEAR TAYLOR AND DIXIE COUNTIES IN 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... THE HURRICANE WARNING IS CHANGED TO A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA FROM BAYPORT NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD 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. THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY...HOWEVER...HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR BAY AND COASTAL WALTON COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 11 AM EDT TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 29.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 83.8 WEST OR ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TALLAHASSEE. THIS POSITION IS JUST OFFSHORE OF KEATON BEACH. ALBERTO WAS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 9 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION WILL MOVE IT ONSHORE NEAR TAYLOR AND DIXIE COUNTIES SHORTLY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE NEAR 50 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WEAKENING WILL OCCUR AS THE CENTER MOVES OVER LAND TODAY. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES FROM THE CENTER...MAINLY OVER WATER. THE LOWEST PRESSURE WAS 996 MB...OR 29.41 INCHES. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... ALL PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN THE WARNED AREA. RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS ARE CURRENTLY AFFECTING MUCH OF THE COASTAL AND INLAND AREAS OF THE BIG BEND AND EXTREME EASTERN PANHANDLE...MAKING TRAVEL DIFFICULT. PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. ...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE... AT 1145 AM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS IN TAYLOR AND DIXIE COUNTIES REPORTED STORM SURGES OF 4 TO 5 FEET. THE SOUTHERN HALF OF TAYLOR COUNTY AND ALL OF DIXIE COUNTY COAST WILL LIKELY SEE ANOTHER 2 FEET OF SURGE BETWEEN NOON AND 2PM AS WINDS TURN AND BECOME MORE ONSHORE. WITH THE RISING ASTRONOMICAL TIDES DURING THE AFTERNOON...SERIOUS COASTAL FLOODING WILL OCCUR IN SOME OF THESE LOCATIONS. STORM TIDES... THE SUM OF THE SURGE AND THE NORMAL HIGH TIDE COULD REACH 10 FEET IN SOME COASTAL LOCATIONS...ESPECIALLY DIXIE COUNTY. THE HIGH TIDE WILL OCCUR AT THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER AT 319 PM. COASTAL AREAS FURTHER WEST... ACROSS JEFFERSON... WAKULLA AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES WILL SEE NO FURTHER STORM SURGE...IN FACT... THEY HAD LITTLE DURING THE ENTIRE STORM. ...WINDS... STATIONS ALONG THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST AND IN APALACHEE BAY HAVE BEEN REPORTING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. AT 11 AM EDT AT CEDAR KEY THE SUSTAINED WINDS WERE SOUTHWEST AT 24 MPH GUSTING TO 33 MPH. AT KEATON BEACH (IN SOUTHERN TAYLOR COUNTY) THE SUSTAINED WINDS WERE SOUTHEAST AT 26 MPH GUSTING TO 33 MPH. AT THE APALACHICOLA BUOY...ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTH OF THE CENTER OF ALBERTO...THE WIND WAS WEST AT 31 MPH GUSTING TO 38 MPH. THE C TOWER IN APALACHEE BAY...JUST WEST OF THE STORM CENTER...HAD SUSTAINED WINDS OUT OF THE NORTHWEST AT 38 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH...BUT THE WIND INSTRUMENT IS 100 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE WHERE WIND SPEEDS CAN BE QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN THE SURFACE. AT 11 AM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AT TALLAHASSEE SHOWED AROUND 55 MPH 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 8 HOURS OR SO. DURING THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS THE TALLAHASSEE RADAR ESTIMATES 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND...WITH ISOLATED HEAVY AMOUNTS. SO FAR NO FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED...BUT IT REMAINS POSSIBLE IN THE SLOW MOVING BANDS OF RAIN COMING ONSHORE OVER THE FLORIDA BIG BEND COUNTIES OF DIXIE AND TAYLOR. MANY TROPICAL STORM RELATED DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED WHEN MOTORISTS TRIED TO CROSS STANDING WATER...AND EXTREME CAUTION SHOULD BE USED TODAY WHILE TRAVELING. ...TORNADOS... SO FAR NO TORNADOES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED OVER THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND AS THE STORM CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTHEAST OF THE AREA...THE THREAT WILL REMAIN LOW THROUGHOUT THE DAY. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT ON TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY 3 PM EDT. $$ MCNATT/GOREE