000 WTUS84 KHGX 150952 HLSHOU TXZ200-213-214-235>238-151600- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 450 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 2003 ...HURRICANE CLAUDETTE MOVING TOWARD THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST.... ...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 WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR WHARTON...FORT BEND...WALLER...COLORADO...AND AUSTIN COUNTIES. A FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR AREAS SOUTH OF I-10. ...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION... .LOCATION... AT 4 AM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE CLAUDETTE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 95.1 WEST. THIS IS ABOUT 95 MILES SOUTH OF GALVESTON TEXAS. .MOVEMENT... HURRICANE CLAUDETTE WAS MOVING WEST NEAR 12 MPH. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL THE STORM MAKES LANDFALL BETWEEN 10 AM AND 2 PM. IF CLAUDETTE REMAINS ON THIS TRACK...LANDFALL WILL OCCUR BETWEEN ROCKPORT AND PORT O'CONNOR. .WINDS... MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... RESIDENTS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED ALL PREPAREDNESS PLANS AT THIS TIME. ...STORM SURGE AND TIDES... TIDES ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING AT 2.1 TO 6.9 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 THIS MORNING COULD RISE TO 4 TO 6 FEET ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST WITH A FEW SPOTS REACHING 7.5 FEET AROUND THE GALVESTON BAY BASIN. 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 5.0 FT. FREEPORT TUE 7:30 AM 6.2 FT. TUE 3:06 PM 5.7 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 5.1 FT. MORGANS POINT TUE 6:35 PM 3.5 FT. PLEASURE PIER TUE 7:00 AM 7.2 FT. TUE 3:05 PM 4.8 FT. PORT BOLIVAR TUE 8:28 AM 6.4 FT. TUE 4:04 PM 4.3 FT. PORT OCONNOR TUE 2:59 PM 5.8 FT. SAN LUIS PASS TUE 8:05 AM 5.8 FT. TUE 3:41 PM 4.3 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 THE GALVESTON BAY AREA AS FAR NORTH AS THE SHIP CHANNEL THROUGH ABOUT 8 AM. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE CONSTRAINED TIGHTLY TO THE STORM CENTER. WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH MAY AFFECT AN AREA FROM SOUTHWEST MATAGORDA COUNTY...ACROSS MATAGORDA BAY AND SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY BETWEEN 9 AM AND 2 PM. ...RAINFALL... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE DAY...MOST NUMEROUS SOUTH OF I-10. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL VARY FROM 5 TO 7 INCHES ALONG AN EDNA TO FREEPORT LINE...2 TO 4 INCHES ALONG A COLUMBUS TO HOUSTON LINE AND AROUND AN INCH ALONG A BRYAN TO LIVINGSTON LINE. THERE WILL BE ISOLATED RAINFALL TOTALS NEAR 10 INCHES...CONFINED GENERALLY NEAR WHERE THE CENTER OF CLAUDETTE CROSSES THE COAST. ...TORNADOES... THERE WILL ALSO BE AN INCREASING THREAT FOR TORNADOES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS MORNING. WATERSPOUTS WILL BE LIKELY ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST AND GALVESTON AND MATAGORDA BAYS THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON AS CLAUDETTE APPROACHES THE TEXAS COAST. ...FLOODING... COASTAL FLOODING IS ALREADY OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. WATER IS COVERING NUMEROUS ROADS IN GALVESTON INCLUDING FM 3005 AT 7 MILE ROAD...FM 3005 AT NUECES AND HARBORSIDE DRIVE BETWEEN 14TH AND 16TH STREET. WATER IS ALSO COVERING PORTIONS OF HIGHWAY 87 AND THE HIGHWAY 87 AND HIGHWAY 124 INTERSECTION ON THE BOLIVAR PENINSULA. COASTAL FLOODING WAS ALSO REPORTED IN QUINTANA AND FREEPORT IN BRAZORIA COUNTY. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT ON CLAUDETTE WILL BE ISSUED BY 11 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. $$