000 WWUS72 KMLB 131523 NPWMLB URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 1123 AM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004 ...HURRICANE FORCE WINDS LIKELY OVER LAKE...OKEECHOBEE... OSCEOLA...ORANGE...SEMINOLE AND INTERIOR VOLUSIA COUNTIES LATE TODAY... INTENSE HURRICANE CHARLEY...LOCATED BETWEEN THE DRY TORTUGAS AND THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COAST WILL MOVE NORTH AND PUSH INTO THE WESTERN PENINSULA THIS EVENING. CHARLEY MAY BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE PRIOR TO LANDFALL. STRONG WINDS WILL SPREAD INLAND LATE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH DAMAGING WINDS EXPECTED FROM SUNSET INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ACROSS THE INTERIOR COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. FLZ041-044>046-053-058-144-140830- INLAND VOLUSIA-NORTHERN LAKE-OKEECHOBEE-ORANGE-OSCEOLA-SEMINOLE- SOUTHERN LAKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CLERMONT...DELAND...KISSIMMEE... ST. CLOUD...LEESBURG...ORLANDO...SANFORD 1123 AM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004 ...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT... THE INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING FOR OKEECHOBEE...OSCEOLA... ORANGE...SEMINOLE AND INTERIOR VOLUSIA HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING. THE INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE COUNTY. AS CHARLEY APPROACHES LANDFALL OVER WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA THIS EVENING...SUSTAINED WINDS WILL INCREASE ABOVE 40 MPH DURING THE AFTERNOON. PEAK WINDS THIS EVENING ARE EXPECTED TO REACH HURRICANE FORCE...75 MPH...ESPECIALLY IN NUMEROUS SQUALLS NEAR AND AHEAD OF THE CENTER OF CHARLEY. WINDS WILL THEN GRADUALLY LESSEN DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...LIKELY FALLING BELOW 40 MPH TOWARDS DAYBREAK SATURDAY. THERE WILL ALSO BE A THREAT FOR TORNADOES ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTER RAINBANDS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE DAMAGING WINDS SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. DRIVING WILL BECOME DANGEROUS AS WINDS PICK UP AND DEBRIS BEGINS TO BE BLOWN ABOUT. IF YOU LIVE IN A MOBILE HOME...OR A HOME THAT AFFORDS LITTLE PROTECTION FROM FLYING GLASS AND DEBRIS...EVACUATION TO AN ALTERNATE SHELTER SHOULD BE COMPLETED EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. MANY MOBILE HOMES WILL EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE FROM THE HURRICANE FORCE WIND GUSTS. DAMAGE TO SHINGLES...SIDING...AND POOL SCREENS WILL OCCUR TO MANY PERMANENT HOMES. MANY LARGE BRANCHES WILL SNAP...WITH WATER LOGGED TREES BECOMING UPROOTED AND FALLING ON STRUCTURES. LOOSE ITEMS WILL BECOME AIRBORNE...RESULTING IN ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE INJURIES. POWER LINES WILL BE BLOWN DOWN AND EXTENSIVE LOCAL POWER OUTAGES CAN BE EXPECTED. FOR ADDITIONAL PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION CONCERNING HURRICANE CHARLEY REFER TO THE HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE MELBOURNE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE. $$ RL