000
WTUS82 KTAE 232128
HLSTAE
FLZ034-240130-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
528 PM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005

...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THE STEINHATCHEE
RIVER SOUTHWARD...INCLUDING INLAND DIXIE COUNTY...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR RESIDENTS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA BIG
BEND...PARTICULARLY DIXIE COUNTY.

...WATCH AND WARNING INFORMATION...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THE STEINHATCHEE
RIVER SOUTHWARD...INCLUDING INLAND DIXIE COUNTY.

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE COASTAL
WATERS NORTH OF THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER IN APALACHEE BAY.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 5 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 23.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 84.9 WEST OR ABOUT 210 MILES WEST
SOUTHWEST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA AND WAS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST
AT 14 MPH. WILMA IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE HER FORWARD SPEED THIS
EVENING AND MAKE LANDFALL IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA MONDAY MORNING.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 105 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. THIS MAKES WILMA A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-
SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE LATER THIS EVENING.

...PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
EVEN THOUGH WILMA IS CURRENTLY EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL WELL TO THE
SOUTH OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND...WILMA HAS A LARGE WIND FIELD...
WITH TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTENDING AS MUCH AS 230 MILES FROM
THE CENTER. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH MAY OCCUR
ACROSS DIXIE COUNTY LATE TONIGHT OR MONDAY...ESPECIALLY IF WILMA
MAKES LANDFALL FARTHER NORTH THAN EXPECTED. IN PREPARATION FOR THESE
WINDS...RESIDENTS SHOULD MOVE IN ANY OUTDOOR FURNITURE OR OTHER LOOSE
OBJECTS...AND CLOSELY MONITOR THE LATEST ADVISORIES FROM THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER...AND STATEMENTS FROM YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
OFFICE IN TALLAHASSEE FLORIDA.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
A STORM SURGE IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME ALONG THE DIXIE COUNTY
COAST...AS ANY TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE
PRIMARILY OFFSHORE WINDS.

...WIND IMPACTS...
IMPACTS FROM TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS IN THE WARNED AREA WOULD BE
PRIMARILY FROM A FEW DOWNED TREES AND TREE LIMBS...WHICH COULD CAUSE
SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES AND ROAD HAZARDS...AND ALSO DAMAGE TO
STRUCTURES ON WHICH THEY FALL. MINOR WIND DAMAGE COULD ALSO OCCUR TO
OLDER MOBILE HOMES...AND NEWLY PLANTED TREES AND SHRUBS COULD BE
UPROOTED IF NOT SECURED. LOOSE ITEMS SUCH AS LIGHT PATIO FURNITURE
OR TRASH CANS MAY BE BLOWN AROUND.

SOME CURRENT AREA WIND CONDITIONS AS OF 5 PM EDT ARE AS FOLLOWS:

CROSS CITY:         E AT 8 MPH.
PERRY:              NE AT 9 MPH.
KEATON BEACH:      NE AT 10 GUSTING TO 14 MPH.
CEDAR KEY:    NE AT 15 GUSTING TO 19 MPH.
APALACHICOLA BUOY:  NE AT 24 GUSTING TO 30 MPH.

...RAINFALL AND FLOOD POTENTIAL...
BECAUSE OF THE EXPECTED RAPID MOVEMENT OF HURRICANE WILMA...AND THE
FACT THAT THE SOUTHEAST BIG BEND WILL BE LOCATED ON THE GENERALLY
DRIER NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE STORM...NO HEAVY RAINFALL OR FLOOD
IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL WILL LIKELY
NOT EXCEED ONE INCH.

...TORNADO THREAT...
DUE TO THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA PASSING WELL SOUTH OF THE
AREA...THERE IS NO TORNADO THREAT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

...RIP CURRENTS...
ALONG WITH THE HIGH SURF THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP
CURRENTS THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY. EVERYONE...INCLUDING
EXPERIENCED SWIMMERS...SHOULD STAY OUT OF THE SURF.

THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE BY 930 PM EDT.

$$

GODSEY