000 WTUS82 KMLB 131005 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 131600- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 600 AM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004 ...HURRICANE CHARLEY IS IN THE FLORIDA STRAITS AND MOVING TOWARD THE FLORIDA PENINSULA... ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FROM COCOA BEACH TO FLAGLER BEACH...WITH A TROPICAL STORM WARNING ALSO IN EFFECT FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE... ...TROPICAL STORM WATCH CONTINUES FOR EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FROM COCOA BEACH SOUTH TO JUPITER INLET... ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...VOLUSIA...LAKE...SEMINOLE... ORANGE...BREVARD...OSCEOLA...INDIAN RIVER...SAINT LUCIE...MARTIN AND OKEECHOBEE. ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT ALONG THE FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM COCOA BEACH NORTHWARD WHICH INCLUDES NORTH BREVARD AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES. FROM COCOA BEACH SOUTH...A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT AND INCLUDES SOUTH BREVARD...INDIAN RIVER...SAINT LUCIE... AND MARTIN COUNTIES. AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE COUNTY TODAY AND TONIGHT. ALSO FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SEMINOLE...ORANGE...OSCEOLA...AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA TODAY AND TONIGHT. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 5 AM EDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE CHARLEY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 23.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.9 WEST OR ABOUT 85 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA. CHARLEY IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTH IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY. THIS MOTION SHOULD BRING THE CENTER OF CHARLEY TO NEAR THE CENTRAL FLORIDA WEST COAST BY THIS EVENING. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... RESIDENTS OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA SHOULD KEEP INFORMED THROUGHOUT THE DAY REGARDING THE PROGRESS OF HURRICANE CHARLEY. ALTHOUGH THE FORECAST TRACK HAS BEEN RELATIVELY CONSTANT...MINOR CHANGES IN THE ACTUAL TRACK WILL RESULT SUBSEQUENT CHANGES TO LOCAL IMPACTS. A SMALL DEVIATION TO THE EAST WOULD BRING MUCH STRONGER WINDS CLOSER TO THE ORLANDO METROPOLITAN AREA...AS WELL AS OTHER PARTS OF ORANGE... OSCEOLA...SEMINOLE...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES. RESIDENTS SHOULD PREPARE FOR HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ESPECIALLY WEST AND NORTHWEST OF THE ORLANDO METROPOLITAN AREA...AND IN PARTICULAR LAKE COUNTY. CONSIDER TAKING ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES FIRST THING THIS MORNING. HOWEVER...BE CAREFUL AS SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE QUICKLY MOVING INTO THE AREA. SOME OF THESE ALREADY CONTAIN LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS. BE SURE TO FASTEN DOWN OR REMOVE LOOSE OBJECTS THAT ARE OUTSIDE. SECURE GARAGE DOORS...ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT FACE INTO THE WIND. ...WIND IMPACTS... TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN AFFECTING THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE SOUTH AND WEST DURING THE AFTERNOON. PEAK WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR HURRICANE FORCE AND PASS OVER PARTS OF LAKE COUNTY DURING THE EVENING. ALSO...RAINBANDS AROUND CHARLEY MAY PRODUCE GUSTS TO 75 MPH MAINLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM ORLANDO TO DAYTONA BEACH. A FEW LARGE TREES AND SIGNS COULD BE BLOWN DOWN WITH SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES. SOME WIND DAMAGE MAY ALSO OCCUR TO MOBILE HOMES IF UNANCHORED. PERSONS LIVING IN MOBILE HOMES... ESPECIALLY IN LAKE COUNTY...SHOULD CONSIDER MOVING TO MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... BECAUSE THE PREVAILING WIND ALONG THE COAST WILL BE FROM THE SOUTH AND THEN SOUTHWEST...NO SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE IS EXPECTED WITH CHARLEY. BUT AS SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS DEVELOP ALONG PARTS OF THE COAST...VERY ROUGH CONDITIONS WILL SET UP ALONG THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY. THIS COULD CAUSE SOME MINOR FLOODING IN LOW AREAS AND DAMAGE TO BOATS...DOCKS AND PIERS. STRONG SOUTH WINDS BLOWING ACROSS LAKE OKEECHOBEE COULD BRING A SMALL SURGE TO SOUTHERN OKEECHOBEE COUNTY...POSSIBLY AFFECTING THE OKA TANNIE CAMPGROUND. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TOTALS OF THREE TO FOUR INCHES ARE EXPECTED...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF FOUR TO EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN IN SPOTS AS CHARLEY PASSES THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA TODAY AND INTO SATURDAY. PLACES ALREADY SATURATED FROM RECENT HEAVY RAINS WILL BE MOST VULNERABLE TO SERIOUS FLOODING. IMPORTANTLY...LOCATIONS CLOSEST TO THE CENTER TRACK OF CHARLEY STAND TO RECEIVE THE MOST RAIN. ...MARINE IMPACTS... TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS WILL SPREAD UP THE PENINSULA BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE TONIGHT. THERE WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL THREAT OF STRONG WIND GUSTS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF TORNADIC WATERSPOUTS IN THE RAIN BANDS THAT WILL FEED INTO CHARLEY AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS TOWARD SHORE. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... THE TRACK OF HURRICANE CHARLEY WILL PUT ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA IN THE RIGHT FRONT QUADRANT OF ITS CIRCULATION WHICH IS THE MOST FAVORABLE AREA FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT. THE TORNADO THREAT WILL INCREASE AS THE DAY PROGRESSES WITH THE FIRST SERIES OF OUTER RAINBANDS. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND NOON OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT...SEE THE MELBOURNE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB PAGE AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MLB $$