WTUS84 KHGX 150554 HLSHOU TXZ200-213-214-235>238-151500- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT...COR LOCATION TIME NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1255 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 2003 ...CLAUDETTE UPGRADED TO HURRICANE... ...HURRICANE WARNINGS CONTINUE FOR MOST OF THE UPPER TEXAS COAST... ...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS OF... BRAZORIA...CHAMBERS...GALVESTON...HARRIS...JACKSON...LIBERTY...AND MATAGORDA COUNTIES... ...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM BAFFIN BAY TO HIGH ISLAND...INCLUDING GALVESTON AND MATAGORDA BAYS AND THE HOUSTON/GALVESTON METRO AREA. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WHARTON...FORT BEND...WALLER...COLORADO...AND AUSTIN COUNTIES. ...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION... .LOCATION... AT MIDNIGHT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE CLAUDETTE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 94.0 WEST. THIS IS ABOUT 150 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON TEXAS. .MOVEMENT... HURRICANE CLAUDETTE WAS MOVING WEST NEAR 8 MPH. THIS GENERAL MOTION... WITH A SLIGHT INCREASE IN SPEED... EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. IF CLAUDETTE REMAINS ON THIS TRACK... LANDFALL WILL LIKELY BE NEAR SAN ANTONIO BAY TUESDAY EVENING. .WINDS... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... LOCAL OFFICIALS HAVE RECOMMENDED THE EVACUATION OF THE WEST END OF GALVESTON ISLAND AND LOW LYING AREAS OF THE BOLIVAR PENINSULA. RESIDENTS ALONG THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS COAST SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF HURRICANE CLAUDETTE FOR THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. RESIDENTS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED ALL PREPAREDNESS PLANS BY THIS TIME. ...STORM SURGE AND TIDES... TIDES ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING AT 2.1 TO 4.3 FEET. THESE LEVELS WILL PRODUCE MINOR FLOODING ON THE BOLIVAR PENINSULA AND WESTERN GALVESTON ISLAND. NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS WILL REMAIN NEAR TROPICAL STORM FORCE... 39 MPH... WITH HIGHER GUSTS. AS A RESULT...TIDES AS EARLY AS TUESDAY MORNING COULD RISE TO 4 TO 6 FEET ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AND BAYS...5 TO 7 FEET NEAR WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. IF CLAUDETTE TRACKS FURTHER TO THE NORTH AND STRENGTHENS...6 TO 7 FOOT TIDES WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE WEST END OF GALVESTON BAY AND THE WEST END OF GALVESTON ISLAND TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. LOCATION EXPECTED WATER LEVELS AT HIGH TIDE (RELATIVE TO MEAN LOWER LOW WATER) CLEAR LAKE TUE 2:19 PM 4.4 FT. EAGLE POINT TUE 12:08 PM 4.7 FT. FREEPORT TUE 7:30 AM 5.7 FT. TUE 3:06 PM 6.7 FT. GALVESTON CHANNEL TUE 8:14 AM 6.3 FT. TUE 3:50 PM 5.1 FT. JAMAICA BEACH TUE 10:52 AM 5.7 FT. TUE 6:28 PM 4.7 FT. MORGANS POINT TUE 6:35 PM 3.5 FT. PLEASURE PIER TUE 7:00 AM 6.5 FT. TUE 3:05 PM 5.8 FT. PORT BOLIVAR TUE 8:28 AM 5.9 FT. TUE 4:04 PM 5.3 FT. PORT OCONNOR TUE 2:59 PM 5.1 FT. SAN LUIS PASS TUE 8:05 AM 5.8 FT. TUE 3:41 PM 6.1 FT. ...WIND IMPACTS... TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE CURRENTLY AFFECTING THE UPPER TEXAS COAST FROM HIGH ISLAND TO NEAR FREEPORT. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT GALVESTON BAY AREA AS FAR NORTH AS THE SHIP CHANNEL FROM AROUND 2 AM TO NEAR SUNRISE.. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE CONSTRAINED TIGHTLY TO THE STORM CENTER. WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH MY AFFECT AN AREA FROM SOUTHWEST MATAGORDA COUNTY... ACROSS MATAGORDA BAY AND SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY BETWEEN 9 AM AND NOON TUESDAY. ...RAINFALL... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING OVER THE COASTAL COUNTIES ON THE PERIPHERY OF CLAUDETTE. HEAVIER RAINS WILL SPREAD OVER THE COASTAL COUNTIES OVERNIGHT...AND SPREAD OVER MUCH OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS ON TUESDAY. NEAR WHERE THE CENTER OF CLAUDETTE COMES ONSHORE...STORM TOTAL RAINFALL WILL AVERAGE 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH ISOLATED TOTALS UP TO 8 INCHES POSSIBLE. ELSEWHERE...RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH WEDNESDAY WILL AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED TOTALS TO 5 INCHES. ...TORNADOES... WATERSPOUTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN OBSERVED ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST OFF OF GALVESTON ISLAND. THE THREAT FOR WATERSPOUTS WILL PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT AS CLAUDETTE APPROACHES THE TEXAS COAST. THERE WILL ALSO BE AN INCREASING THREAT FOR TORNADOES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS BEGINNING LATER TONIGHT AND ON INTO TUESDAY. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT ON CLAUDETTE WILL BE ISSUED BY 6 AM TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON STORM POSITION...STRENGTH AND MOVEMENT. FOR MORE HURRICANE 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. $$