000 WTUS82 KMLB 250610 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 251015- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 210 AM EDT SAT SEP 25 2004 ...HURRICANE JEANNE STRENGTHENING AND MOVING A LITTLE FASTER... ...A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM FLORIDA CITY TO SAINT AUGUSTINE WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST... ...AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE... ...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...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 HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FLORIDA CITY TO SAINT AUGUSTINE...WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COASTAL COUNTIES FROM MARTIN TO VOLUSIA. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY FOR THESE LOCATIONS IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THE HURRICANE WARNING INCLUDES LAKE OKEECHOBEE. AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES...INCLUDING LAKE...SEMINOLE...ORANGE...OSCEOLA... AND OKEECHOBEE. THIS MEANS THAT HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE INTERIOR COUNTIES WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 2 AM EDT...THE LARGE EYE OF HURRICANE JEANNE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 75.6 WEST OR ABOUT 270 MILES EAST OF THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST. JEANNE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 14 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. THE CORE OF JEANNE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS LATER TODAY...AND THEN TAKE AIM ON FLORIDAS EAST COAST TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED A LITTLE AND ARE NOW NEAR 105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FURTHER STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST TODAY WITH THE CHANCE FOR JEANNE TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE BEFORE FLORIDA LANDFALL. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... ALTHOUGH THIS HAS BEEN AN EXHAUSTING HURRICANE SEASON WITH MANY AREAS HAVING ALREADY EXPERIENCED CONSIDERABLE PROPERTY DAMAGE... RESIDENTS WILL NEED TO AVOID COMPLACENCY! THERE IS STILL A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO COMPLETE PREPAREDNESS TASKS DURING MUCH OF SATURDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. IMPORTANTLY...PREPAREDNESS WORK SHOULD BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE ONSET OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS OR DRIVING SATURDAY...BE ESPECIALLY WATCHFUL OF PASSING RAIN SQUALLS. THEY WILL CONTAIN THE FIRST STRONG WINDS OF JEANNE. MOTORISTS DRIVING HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION. THOSE PERFORMING OTHER WIND SENSITIVE TASKS...SUCH AS BOARDING UP WINDOWS OR SECURING PREVIOUSLY DAMAGED ROOFS...SHOULD KEEP AN EYE TO THE SKY WHILE WORKING. STAY INFORMED OF THE LATEST FORECASTS AND WEATHER THREATS...AND BE DILIGENT TO IMPLEMENT YOUR HURRICANE PLAN OF ACTION. CONSIDER YOUR VULNERABILITY TO HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...TO DEADLY STORM SURGE...TO FLOODING RAIN. TAKE ALL REASONABLE AND NECESSARY ACTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND HELP OTHERS IN NEED WHEN POSSIBLE. ...WIND IMPACTS... NOW THAT JEANNE IS MOVING A LITTLE FASTER...THE WIND THREAT FOR JEANNE WILL ARRIVE A BIT SOONER THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. THE WIND THREAT IS EXTREME...ESPECIALLY FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES. IT IS POSSIBLE FOR JEANNE TO STRENGTHEN TO A MAJOR CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE WITH 115 MPH WINDS...AS IT APPROACHES THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST. PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FORCE WINDS SHOULD BE WELL UNDER WAY. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST STARTING EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON OVER MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES...AND THEN SPREAD NORTH ALONG THE COAST AND WEST INTO THE INTERIOR. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REACH THE COAST OVER MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES IN THE EVENING SATURDAY. DAMAGE FROM RECENT HURRICANES CHARLEY AND FRANCES ARE EXPECTED TO COMPOUND THE WIND EFFECTS FROM JEANNE. HOMES...TREES...AND POWER GRIDS ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO DAMAGE IN THEIR WEAKENED STATE. POWER OUTAGES MAY BE LONGER IN MANY AREAS THAN WHAT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED. DEBRIS THAT HAS YET TO BE REMOVED HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE INJURY AND DAMAGE. IF YOU LIVE IN A MOBILE HOME...A HOME WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE...OR IN A PLACE THAT OFFERS LITTLE PROTECTION FROM HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...STRONGLY CONSIDER MOVING TO A SAFE SHELTER. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... THE SURGE THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS EXTREME NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE LANDFALL LOCATION. RESIDENTS SHOULD ANTICIPATE A STORM SURGE OF 6 TO 8 FEET DEPENDING ON THE LOCAL TIDE DURING LANDFALL. THE GREATEST SURGE WILL OCCUR FROM THE TIME OF LANDFALL THROUGH AROUND 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING WHEN LOCAL ASTRONOMICAL TIDES WILL BE RUNNING NEAR 4 FEET. THIS...PLUS THE STORM SURGE...COULD PRODUCE A BEACH FRONT SURGE NEAR 10 FEET. THE STORM SURGE EFFECTS WILL BE COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT THE DUNES ARE IN A HIGHLY WEAKENED STATE. MANY BEACHFRONT PROPERTIES HAVE ALREADY SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND EROSION... MAKING THEM VERY VULNERABLE TO FURTHER DAMAGE. INUNDATION OF THE IMMEDIATE COASTAL ZONE BY SEA WATER IS POSSIBLE WITH SURGE AND WAVES BREACHING THE WEAKENED DUNES. NEAR SHORE ROADWAYS AND STRUCTURES ARE AT RISK. PROPERTIES AROUND INLETS AND ADJACENT CANALS WILL ALSO BE VULNERABLE TO INUNDATION AS WATER BACKS UP...ESPECIALLY AROUND THE TIMES OF HIGH TIDES. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... THE FLOOD THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS EXTREME. AS A RESULT... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES. THE WATER TABLE IS ALREADY HIGH ACROSS EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA DUE TO COPIOUS RAINFALL THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER...INCLUDING HURRICANES CHARLEY AND FRANCES. MANY AREAS ALREADY HAVE STANDING WATER...AND IN SOME CASES...PARTICULARLY ALONG THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER...PROPERTIES ARE ALREADY UNDER WATER. BETWEEN 6 AND 12 INCHES OF RAIN ARE FORECAST ALONG AND NEAR THE TRACK OF THE CENTER OF JEANNE. THIS WILL AGGRAVATE PRE-EXISTING FLOODING CONDITIONS...AND ADDITIONAL FLOODING IS HIGHLY LIKELY IN MANY AREAS. BLOCKAGE OF STORM DRAINS...STREAMS...CANALS AND OTHER NATURAL AND MAN MADE RETENTION AREAS MAY ALSO AGGRAVATE THE POTENTIAL FLOOD THREAT AS THESE HAVE VERY LITTLE ROOM TO HANDLE ADDITIONAL RUNOFF. THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER WHICH IS ALREADY IN FLOOD CAN EXPECT ADDITIONAL RISES...WITH MAJOR FLOODING A POSSIBILITY. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... THE TORNADO THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS MODERATE. AS WITH ANY HURRICANE...THERE ALWAYS EXISTS THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES. AT THIS TIME...THE MOST FAVORED LOCATION FOR TORNADOES MAY REMAIN OFFSHORE... OR CONFINED TO THE IMMEDIATE COAST...BUT IS LIKELY TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST THREATS TO ARRIVE. PLEASE FACTOR THIS IN TO YOUR PREPARATION PLANS. ...MARINE IMPACTS... THE MARINE IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE WILL BE EXTREME. HIGH SEAS AND STRONG WINDS ALREADY BUFFETING THE ATLANTIC WATERS WILL ONLY GET WORSE AS JEAN APPROACHES. JEANNE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE OVER THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COASTAL WATERS. SEAS MAY GROW TO OVER 20 FEET LATER TODAY WITH INTRACOASTAL WATERS BECOMING VERY ROUGH. WINDS MAY REACH AS HIGH AS 100 KNOTS AS JEANNE APPROACHES THE COAST BETWEEN FLAGLER BEACH AND JUPITER INLET. PERSONS WHO MAY BE SECURING BOATS OR DOCKS ALONG THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY SHOULD MAKE PREPARATIONS AS IF A CATEGORY THREE LANDFALLING HURRICANE WAS APPROACHING THEIR AREA. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING...OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. $$ DWS