WTUS82 KMLB 090957 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 091600- TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 555 AM EDT FRI SEP 9 2005 ...OPHELIA WEAKENS TO A TROPICAL STORM AND IS NO LONGER STATIONARY... ...NEW INFORMATION... OPHELIA HAS WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM...AND IS BEGINNING TO MOVE AWAY FROM EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. HOWEVER...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM SEBASTIAN INLET TO FLAGLER BEACH WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR AT LEAST THIS MORNING. IF THE CURRENT TREND CONTINUES...THESE WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE DROPPED LATER TODAY...LEAVING MAINLY A MARINE AND BEACH CONCERN FOR THE FORECAST AREA. ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM SEBASTIAN INLET TO FLAGLER BEACH. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE BEACHES SOUTH OF SEBASTIAN INLET FOR BREAKING WAVES. ALTHOUGH OPHELIA HAS WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM...A HURRICANE WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THIS MORNING FOR THE COASTAL WATERS BEYOND 20 MILES OFFSHORE BETWEEN FLAGLER BEACH AND SEBASTIAN INLET...TO ACCOMMODATE THE LINGERING POTENTIAL FOR HURRICANE FORCE WIND GUSTS. ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN WITHIN VOLUSIA AND BREVARD COUNTIES. INTERESTS ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA SHOULD CHECK LOCAL FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS CONCERNING ANY PERIPHERAL AFFECTS FROM TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 5 AM EDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE OPHELIA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.1 WEST OR ABOUT 115 MILES EAST OF DAYTONA BEACH. OPHELIA IS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 6 MPH...WITH A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTHEASTWARD EXPECTED LATER IN THE DAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 65 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... BEACH AND BOATING INTERESTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THE HAZARDOUS AFFECTS OF TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA FROM SEBASTIAN INLET TO FLAGLER BEACH...AND ESPECIALLY FROM CAPE CANAVERAL NORTHWARD. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY IMPROVE AS OPHELIA CONTINUES TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE FORECAST AREA. ...WIND IMPACTS... WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE BREVARD AND VOLUSIA COUNTY COASTS TODAY...MAINLY IN VICINITY OF PASSING SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTER BANDS OF OPHELIA. THE THREAT OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AND WIND GUSTS WILL GRADUALLY REDUCE AS OPHELIA GRADUALLY MOVES FARTHER AWAY FROM THE FORECAST AREA. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... DUE TO PERSISTENT ONSHORE FLOW NORTH OF CAPE CANAVERAL...ROUGH SURF AND BREAKING WAVES WILL BATTER THE BEACHES INTO SATURDAY. SOUTH OF CAPE CANAVERAL...A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. ENHANCED WAVE ACTION WILL RESULT IN SOME ADDITIONAL BEACH EROSION. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EROSION IS LIKELY FROM AROUND CAPE CANAVERAL NORTHWARD THROUGH THE VOLUSIA COUNTY BEACHES. STRONG RIP CURRENTS WILL ALSO OCCUR ALONG THE ENTIRE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST INTO THE WEEKEND. ...MARINE IMPACTS... SMALL CRAFT ARE URGED TO REMAIN IN PORT...ESPECIALLY BETWEEN FLAGLER BEACH AND SEBASTIAN INLET UNTIL THE TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COMPLETELY EXIT THE MARINE AREA. OPHELIA IS NOW MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST TOWARD THE OPEN SEA. A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WATERS BEYOND 20 MILES OFFSHORE FROM SEBASTIAN INLET TO FLAGLER BEACH TO ACCOMMODATE THE LINGERING POTENTIAL FOR WIND GUSTS TO 65 KNOTS IN PASSING SQUALLS. WINDS WILL BE 35 TO 40 KNOTS WITH SEAS UP TO 15 FEET. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WATERS WITHIN 20 MILES OF THE COAST...WITH WINDS 25 TO 30 KNOTS GUSTING TO 45 KNOTS IN PASSING SQUALLS...NORTH OF SEBASTIAN INLET. SEAS ARE FORECAST UP TO 9 FEET. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... THE FLOOD THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH OPHELIA IS DIMINISHING. SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL STILL BE EXPERIENCED TODAY WITHIN THE OUTER BANDS OF OPHELIA...BUT ADDITIONAL TOTALS WILL ONLY BE AROUND ONE INCH...AND MAINLY WITHIN COASTAL SECTIONS OF VOLUSIA AND BREVARD COUNTIES. THEREFORE...THE FLOOD WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... THERE IS A VERY LOW AND DIMINISHING THREAT FOR AN ISOLATED TORNADO... MAINLY NEAR THE COAST FROM CAPE CANAVERAL NORTHWARD THIS MORNING. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND NOON OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THESE HURRICANE THREATS CAN BE VIEWED ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE WEB-PAGE AT... WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MLB AND CLICKING ON OPHELIA LOCAL INFO. $$