000 WTUS84 KHGX 160258 HLSHOU TXZ235>237-160800- TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 950 PM CDT TUE JUL 15 2003 ...TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE CONTINUES WESTERLY TRACK INTO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS... ...ALL TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS CANCELLED... ...THIS WILL BE THE LAST LOCAL STATEMENT CONCERNING TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE... ...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF... BRAZORIA...JACKSON...AND MATAGORDA COUNTIES... ...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT... NONE. ...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION... .LOCATION... AT 10 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 98.9 WEST... OR ABOUT 20 MILES EAST OF COTULLA. .MOVEMENT... CLAUDETTE IS MOVING WEST AT 14 MPH. .WINDS... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES. ...STORM SURGE AND TIDES... TIDES CONTINUE TO SUBSIDE ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST. THE LAST KNOWN TIDE LEVEL FROM THE MATAGORDA AREA WAS 3.5 FEET AT PORT OCONNOR AT 6 PM. TIDES AT FREEPORT HAD FALLEN TO 1.5 FEET BY 8 PM. ALONG THE WESTERN SHORE OF GALVESTON BAY AND THE WEST BAY...TIDE LEVELS REMAIN SLIGHTLY ELEVATED...RANGING FROM 3.2 FEET AT MORGANS POINT TO AROUND 4.2 FEET AT JAMAICA BEACH. THESE LEVELS ARE STILL 2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS...BUT CONTINUE A GRADUAL FALL. 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 NEAR 30 MPH. THESE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY DIMINISH TONIGHT. WINDS AT MOST INLAND LOCATIONS HAVE FALLEN TO THE 10 TO 15 MPH RANGE. ...RAINFALL... AT 10 PM... ALMOST ALL REMAINING RAINFALL FROM CLAUDETTE WAS IN A NARROW CORRIDOR FROM PALACIOS TO SCHULENBERG. THIS BAND HAS BECOME DETACHED FROM THE MOTION OF CLAUDETTE...BUT IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE BY MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL IN THIS AREA MAY PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL INCH ACCUMULATION. ...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...THE DRAW BRIDGES CONNECTING THE MAINLAND TO THE BARRIER ISLANDS AT SARGENT AND MATAGORDA REMAINED CLOSED. CURRENTLY...THERE IS NO ACCESS TO MATAGORDA OR SARGENT. 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. THIS IS THE LAST LOCAL STATEMENT CONCERNING TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE. 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. $$