WTUS82 KMLB 301458 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 302200- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 1100 AM EDT WED AUG 30 2006 ...ERNESTO WEAKENS TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OVER SOUTH FLORIDA... ...NEW INFORMATION... AT 1100 AM...ERNESTO WAS DOWNGRADED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION JUST SOUTH OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE. THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED SOUTH OF SEBASTIAN INLET AND THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR LAKE...SEMINOLE...ORANGE...OSCEOLA... OKEECHOBEE...INDIAN RIVER...SAINT LUCIE...AND MARTIN COUNTIES. SINCE THE DEPRESSION COULD REGAIN TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH THIS EVENING AFTER MOVING OFFSHORE THE CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT NORTH OF SEBASTIAN INLET AND THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING WILL CONTINUE FOR BREVARD AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES. ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT IS FOR RESIDENTS OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...INCLUDING MARTIN...SAINT LUCIE...OKEECHOBEE...INDIAN RIVER...BREVARD... OSCEOLA...ORANGE...SEMINOLE...VOLUSIA...AND LAKE COUNTIES. ...WATCHES/WARNINGS... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT NORTH OF SEBASTIAN INLET...BUT HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR AREAS FARTHER SOUTH. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR VOLUSIA AND BREVARD COUNTIES...BUT HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR LAKE...SEMINOLE... ORANGE...OSCEOLA...OKEECHOBEE...INDIAN RIVER...SAINT LUCIE...AND MARTIN COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 11 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION ERNESTO WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 80.9 WEST OR ABOUT 135 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF CAPE CANAVERAL. THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE NEAR 35 MPH. THE DEPRESSION WAS MOVING NORTH NEAR 10 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY ALONG WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED...BRINGING THE CENTER OFFSHORE THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST THIS EVENING. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... RESIDENTS OF VOLUSIA AND BREVARD COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF MINIMAL TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MAINLY IN GUSTS. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE NO LONGER EXPECTED. MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL ERNESTO EXITS THE REGION TONIGHT...AS WINDS AND SEAS REMAIN ELEVATED TODAY AND THIS EVENING. ...WINDS... THE CIRCULATION OF ERNESTO HAS WEAKENED THIS MORNING AFTER MOVING ONSHORE SOUTHERN FLORIDA...BUT MAY RESTRENGTHEN SLIGHTLY AFTER MOVING BACK OFFSHORE THE CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST THIS EVENING. MINIMAL TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...WITH OCCASIONAL WINDS NEAR 40 MPH... MAINLY IN GUSTS...WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS VOLUSIA AND BREVARD COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE STRONGEST WIND GUSTS WILL LIKELY OCCUR NEAR THE COAST AS OCCASIONAL SHOWERS SPREAD ONSHORE. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...WINDS MAY GUST TO 25 TO 35 MPH DURING TIMES OF PASSING SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON. ...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE... STEADY ONSHORE FLOW WILL ADD LESS THAN 2 FEET TO THE HIGH TIDE CYCLE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. RISES WITHIN THE INTRACOASTAL WATERS SHOULD BE MINIMAL...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF BREVARD COUNTY. ...INLAND FLOODING... A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES WILL OCCUR IN A SMALL REGION ALONG AND EAST OF THE TRACK OF THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS UP TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE. LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING MAY OCCUR IN AREAS WHICH EXPERIENCED REPEATED HEAVY RAINS. ...TORNADOES... AN ISOLATED SHORT-LIVED TORNADO WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY EVENING...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COAST. ...MARINE... TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO SPREAD NORTHWARD ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SUSTAINED WINDS WILL BRIEFLY REACH 30 TO 35 KNOTS WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 40 KNOTS IN SQUALLS...PRIMARILY IN RAINBANDS AND NEAR THE CENTER OF THE DEPRESSION AS IT MOVES OFFSHORE. SEAS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BUILD TO BETWEEN 6 AND 9 FEET AND CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT ALONG THE TRACK OF THE DEPRESSION. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 600 PM OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT CAN BE FOUND ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE WEB SITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MLB/GHLS/HLS_MAIN.HTML $$ SPRATT