000 WTUS82 KTAE 100000 HLSTAE ALZ065>069-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-GAZ120>131-142>148-155>160-100330- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED HURRICANE DENNIS LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 800 PM EDT SAT JUL 9 2005 ..A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER WESTWARD... ...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT SOUTH OF THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER... ...AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE INTERIOR FLORIDA PANHANDLE... ...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR EXTREME SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND THE INTERIOR FLORIDA BIG BEND... ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND UNTIL 11 PM EDT... ...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT... ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTION TO BE TAKEN FOR RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND EASTERN PANHANDLE...SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...AND SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. ...WATCH AND WARNING INFORMATION... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF WALTON...BAY...GULF...FRANKLIN...WAKULLA...JEFFERSON AND TAYLOR. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR DIXIE COUNTY. AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE INTERIOR FLORIDA PANHANDLE. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR EXTREME SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND THE INTERIOR FLORIDA BIG BEND. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM FOR DIXIE...JEFFERSON...LAFAYETTE...TAYLOR AND WAKULLA COUNTIES. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 7 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 84.9 WEST OR ABOUT 285 MILES SOUTH OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA. DENNIS IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH AND A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED TONIGHT OR SUNDAY. DENNIS HAS STRENGTHENED RAPIDLY DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS NOW NEAR 115 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED...AND DENNIS COULD BECOME A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE BEFORE LANDFALL ON THE NORTHERN GULF COAST. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 40 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES. THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 947 MB OR 27.96 INCHES. ...WIND IMPACTS... BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK...WINDS WILL INCREASE TO NEAR TROPICAL STORM FORCE OVERNIGHT ALONG THE COAST FROM TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE TO SAINT GEORGE ISLAND...AND EXTEND BY SUNRISE FROM DESTIN TO SHELL POINT. GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE WINDS COULD REACH THE COAST LATE SUNDAY MORNING. TROPICAL STORM FORCE AND EVENTUALLY HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL PUSH INLAND OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. IF THE TRACK OF DENNIS TURNS SLIGHTLY TO THE EAST...THE FLORIDA BIG BEND COULD RECEIVE HURRICANE FORCE WINDS. ...RAINFALL AND FLOOD POTENTIAL INFORMATION... SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WILL OCCUR OVER A LARGE SWATH AS THE HURRICANE MOVES INLAND. THE HEAVIEST RAIN IS LIKELY TO FALL OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE FROM THE APALACHICOLA RIVER WESTWARD AND INTO SOUTHEAST ALABAMA WHERE TOTAL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE. OVER THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...3 TO 5 INCHES IS POSSIBLE. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... THE STORM SURGE SHOULD BEGIN ALONG THE COAST EARLY SUNDAY. IF THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE MOVES INLAND OVER THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE AS A MAJOR HURRICANE...STORM SURGES WILL RANGE FROM 8 TO 12 FEET FROM PANAMA CITY BEACH WEST THROUGH DESTIN...WITH 6 TO 8 FOOT SURGES EAST OF PANAMA CITY BEACH TO SAINT GEORGE ISLAND. STORM SURGES FROM SAINT GEORGE ISLAND EASTWARD ACROSS THE FLORIDA BIG BEND COAST WOULD LIKELY BE IN THE 3 TO 5 FOOT RANGE. EXPOSED BARRIER ISLAND AND PENINSULAS INCLUDING CAPE SAN BLAS WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE LARGE DAMAGING WAVE ACTION AND EROSION. NORMAL ASTRONOMICAL TIDES ARE AS FOLLOWS... APALACHICOLA... SUNDAY...LOW 1:14 AM AND 1:09 PM...HIGH 8:22 AM AND 6:07 PM. PORT SAINT JOE... TODAY...LOW 10:49 PM. SUNDAY...HIGH 12:40 PM...LOW 10:51 PM. PANAMA CITY... TODAY...LOW 10:29 PM. SUNDAY...HIGH 12:07 AM...LOW 10:31 PM. DESTIN... SUNDAY...LOW 1:00 AM...HIGH 12:37 PM. ...RIP CURRENTS... DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY DUE TO INCREASING SURF AND WINDS. ...TORNADO THREAT... RADAR INDICATED SEVERAL OUTER RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH DENNIS WERE MOVING NORTHWEST AND APPROACHING THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. THE THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL SPREAD NORTHWEST ACROSS THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING...AND ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALABAMA ON SUNDAY. ADDITIONAL TORNADO WATCHES WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED. THE GREATEST THREAT IS NORMALLY TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE HURRICANE. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... COASTAL RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND SHOULD MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE CONDITIONS DEVELOPING WITHIN 24 HOURS. RESIDENTS IN LOW LYING AREAS NEAR THE COAST PRONE TO STORM SURGE FLOODING SHOULD HEED THE ADVICE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS FOR SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS AND ORDERS. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY 11 PM EDT. $$ JAMSKI