000 WTUS84 KHGX 160039 HLSHOU TXZ235>237-160300- TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 734 PM CDT TUE JUL 15 2003 ...TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE CONTINUES WESTERLY TRACK INTO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS... ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM PORT ARANSAS TO FREEPORT... ...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF... BRAZORIA...JACKSON...AND MATAGORDA COUNTIES... ...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM PORT ARANSAS TO FREEPORT. ALL WARNINGS EAST OF FREEPORT HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED. ...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION... .LOCATION... AT 7 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 97.5 WEST. THIS IS ABOUT 40 MILES WEST OF VICTORIA TEXAS. .MOVEMENT... CLAUDETTE IS MOVING WEST AT 13 MPH. CLAUDETTE WILL MOVE QUICKLY AWAY FROM SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT. .WINDS... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. CLAUDETTE WILL WEAKEN FURTHER TONIGHT AS IT MOVES INLAND. ...STORM SURGE AND TIDES... TIDES ARE SUBSIDING ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST. LAST KNOWN TIDE LEVELS FROM MATAGORDA BAY TO FREEPORT WERE 4 TO 6 FEET. ALONG THE WESTERN SHORE OF GALVESTON BAY AND THE WEST BAY...TIDE LEVELS REMAIN ELEVATED...RANGING FROM 3.7 FEET AT MORGANS POINT TO 4.2 FEET AT JAMAICA BEACH...BUT SHOULD CONTINUE A GRADUAL FALL TONIGHT. ON THE GULF SIDE OF THE ISLAND...TIDES HAVE DROPPED TO AROUND 2 FEET...WHICH IS A LITTLE OVER A FOOT ABOVE NORMAL. TIDE LEVELS WILL DROP TO THE 2 TO 3 FOOT RANGE ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. LOCATION EXPECTED WATER LEVELS AT HIGH TIDE (RELATIVE TO MEAN LOWER LOW WATER) CLEAR LAKE WED 2:50 PM 2.2 FT. EAGLE POINT WED 12:39 PM 2.2 FT. FREEPORT WED 8:01 AM 3.3 FT. GALVESTON CHANNEL WED 8:45 AM 2.4 FT. JAMAICA BEACH WED 11:23 AM 2.0 FT. MORGANS POINT WED 7:06 PM 2.0 FT. PLEASURE PIER WED 7:37 AM 2.7 FT. PORT BOLIVAR WED 8:59 AM 2.4 FT. SAN LUIS PASS WED 8:36 AM 2.2 FT. ...WIND IMPACTS... WINDS ALONG THE UPPER COAST ARE RUNNING SOUTH 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH. THESE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH TONIGHT. ...RAINFALL... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH CLAUDETTE HAVE DIMINISHED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE 4 PM. A SINGLE RAIN BAND REMAINED OVER MATAGORDA BAY AND JACKSON AND MATAGORDA COUNTIES. ASIDE FROM POTENTIAL ONE TO THREE INCH ACCUMULATIONS IN THAT RAIN BAND...ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AVERAGE LESS THAN ONE INCH. ...FLOODING... CHAMBERS COUNTY...FLOODING EARLIER REPORTED AT SMITH POINT...OAK ISLAND...AND WHITE HERON IS IMPROVING AND ALL MAJOR ROADS ARE OPEN AT THIS TIME. GALVESTON/HARRIS COUNTIES...ALL MAJOR ROADS ARE OPEN AT THIS TIME. BRAZORIA COUNTY...ALL MAJOR ROADS ARE OPEN AT THIS TIME. MATAGORDA COUNTY...AS OF 4 PM...THE DRAW BRIDGES CONNECTING THE MAINLAND TO THE BARRIER ISLANDS AT SARGENT AND MATAGORDA REMAINED CLOSED. JACKSON COUNTY...ALL MAJOR ROADS ARE OPEN AT THIS TIME. ...DAMAGE... NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES HAVE BEEN BLOWN DOWN EVEN OVER INLAND AREAS AS FAR NORTH AS HOUSTON AND EL CAMPO. JACKSON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTS NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ACROSS THE COUNTY WITH WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF MANY HOMES. LOLITA WAS THE HARDEST HIT AREA. MATAGORDA COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTS EXTENSIVE WIND DAMAGE ACROSS THE COUNTY WITH MANY ROADS BLOCKED BY DEBRIS. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT ON CLAUDETTE WILL BE ISSUED BETWEEN 9 AND 11 PM TONIGHT. FOR MORE TROPICAL WEATHER INFORMATION...SEE THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER WEB PAGE AT HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV OR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE'S WEB PAGE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/HGX. $$