000 WTUS82 KTAE 131855 HLSTAE FLZ014>019-026>029-034-GAZ146>148-156>161-GMZ750-755-770-775- 132200- TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 255 PM EDT TUE JUN 13 2006 ...TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO HAS MOVED INLAND OVER NORTH FLORIDA AND IS WEAKENING... ...NEW INFORMATION... TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO HAS MOVED INLAND WITH THE CENTER HAVING PASSED OVER ADAMS BEACH IN TAYLOR COUNTY AROUND 1230 EDT. THE STORM WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN AS IT MOVES NORTHEASTWARD. ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. ...WATCHES/WARNINGS... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF COAST FROM BAYPORT TO INDIAN PASS. THIS INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF DIXIE...TAYLOR...JEFFERSON...WAKULLA AND FRANKLIN. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND. A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR EASTERN FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 2 PM EDT TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO WAS CENTERED NEAR LATITUDE 30.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 83.4 WEST OR ABOUT 55 MILES EAST OF TALLAHASSEE. ALBERTO WAS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 10 MPH AND THIS GENERAL DIRECTION OF MOTION WITH SOME INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT. ON THIS TRACK THE CENTER WILL BE MOVING OVER GEORGIA LATER TODAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 40 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS...IN A FEW SQUALLS. CONTINUED WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AS THE SYSTEM MOVES OVER LAND...AND ALBERTO WILL PROBABLY BECOME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION LATER TODAY OR THIS EVENING. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 145 MILES FROM THE CENTER...MAINLY OVER WATER. THE LOWEST PRESSURE WAS 998 MB...OR 29.44 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... THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF SOME MINOR COASTAL FLOODING IN TAYLOR AND DIXIE COUNTIES BUT OFFICIALS HAVE REPORTED THAT WATER HAS BEEN RECEEDING RECENTLY. HIGH TIDE AT THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER ENTRANCE IS AT 319 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON AND OBSERVED TIDES ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING ABOUT 2 FEET ABOVE ASTRONOMICAL TIDES. AS THE STORM MOVES FURTHER NORTHEASTWARD...WINDS WILL SHIFT AND BECOME MORE OFFSHORE...HELPING WATER RECEED EVEN FURTHER ESPECIALLY AFTER THE SCHEDULED HIGH TIDE. ...WINDS... A FEW STATIONS ALONG THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST AND IN APALACHEE BAY HAVE BEEN REPORTING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. AT 2 PM EDT CEDAR KEY WAS REPORTING SUSTAINED WINDS FROM THE SOUTHWEST AT 25 MPH GUSTING TO 32 MPH. AT KEATON BEACH (IN SOUTHERN TAYLOR COUNTY) THE SUSTAINED WINDS WERE WEST AT 37 MPH GUSTING TO 41 MPH. THE C TOWER IN APALACHEE BAY...JUST WEST OF THE STORM CENTER...HAD SUSTAINED WINDS OUT OF THE WEST AT 24 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 26 MPH...BUT THE WIND INSTRUMENT IS 100 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE WHERE WIND SPEEDS CAN BE QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN THE SURFACE. AT 2 PM EDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AT TALLAHASSEE SHOWED AROUND 40 MPH WINDS WELL ABOVE THE SURFACE OVER PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND. HEAVY RAIN BANDS NEAR THE CENTER OF ALBERTO WILL PRODUCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH AS THEY TRANSPORT THE STRONGER WINDS ALOFT DOWN TO THE SURFACE. SOME SPORADIC POWER OUTAGES AND DOWNED TREES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ACROSS LEON AND WAKULLA COUNTY...AND CAUTION SHOULD BE USED WHILE DRIVING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE COAST OF APALACHEE BAY...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 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 EASTERN FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PORTIONS OF 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 AND INTO SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...WITH ISOLATED HEAVIER AMOUNTS. SO FAR NO INLAND FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED...BUT IT REMAINS POSSIBLE IN THE SLOW MOVING BANDS OF RAIN MOVING OVER JEFFERSON...MADISON AND TAYLOR COUNTIES IN THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AS WELL AS THOMAS...BROOKS AND LOWNDES COUNTIES IN SOUTH-CENTRAL GEORGIA. 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 6 PM EDT. $$ MCNATT