WTUS82 KMLB 231552 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 232145- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 1150 AM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005 ...HURRICANE WILMA CONTINUES MOVING TOWARD FLORIDA... ...NEW INFORMATION... THE INLAND HURRICANE WARNING FOR ORANGE COUNTY HAS BEEN REPLACED BY AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING. SEE WIND IMPACT DISCUSSION FOR DETAILS. ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM JUPITER INLET TO TITUSVILLE...WITH A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM NORTH OF TITUSVILLE TO FLAGLER BEACH. AN INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR OKEECHOBEE AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ORANGE...LAKE...SEMINOLE AND INTERIOR VOLUSIA COUNTIES. A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE. ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN IN BREVARD...VOLUSIA...SAINT LUCIE...MARTIN...INDIAN RIVER... OKEECHOBEE...ORANGE...SEMINOLE...VOLUSIA AND LAKE COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 11 AM THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED ABOUT 340 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA. WILMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 8 MPH AND AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 100 MPH. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HURRICANE WILMA IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF FLORIDA EARLY ON MONDAY AND ACCELERATE VERY RAPIDLY ACROSS THE PENINSULA DURING THE DAY. ALL PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE COMPLETED TODAY. DO NOT FOCUS ON THE EXACT TRACK OF WILMA AS THE AREA OF GREATEST IMPACT WILL NOT BE KNOWN UNTIL LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY MONDAY. THERE REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE EXACT TRACK. DO NOT GET CAUGHT OFF- GUARD OR DELAY YOUR ACTIONS...IMPLEMENT YOUR HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM PLANS. ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDIANS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS. ...WIND IMPACTS... THE INLAND HURRICANE WARNING FOR ORANGE COUNTY HAS BEEN REPLACED BY AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING AS THE THREAT OF SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS HAS LESSENED BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN TO LET DOWN YOUR GUARD...SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED WITH GUSTS POSSIBLY TO NEAR HURRICANE FORCE ESPECIALLY IN EASTERN ORANGE COUNTY. THE GREATEST THREAT FROM WILMA ACROSS EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA IS FOR DESTRUCTIVE WINDS. THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND FIELD IS VERY LARGE AND THEREFORE WILL ARRIVE WELL BEFORE THE APPROACH OF THE CORE WINDS. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN ACROSS OKEECHOBEE... OSCEOLA...MARTIN...SAINT LUCIE AND INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES VERY EARLY MONDAY MORNING AND SPREAD ACROSS BREVARD...ORANGE...LAKE... SEMINOLE...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES STARTING BEFORE 8 AM. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPACT OKEECHOBEE...MARTIN...SOUTHERN OSCEOLA AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES BY MID MORNING ON MONDAY AND POSSIBLY SPREAD INTO INDIAN RIVER AND SOUTHERN BREVARD COUNTIES. BECAUSE THE OF THE RAPID MOVEMENT OF WILMA...WINDS WILL BE HIGHEST IMMEDIATELY NEAR THE CENTER AND TO THE RIGHT. IT IS LIKELY A BAND OF DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 100 MPH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE PENINSULA MONDAY MORNING. THE LOCATIONS THAT MAY EXPERIENCE THE GREATEST WIND IMPACT WILL NOT BE KNOWN UNTIL MONDAY MORNING. BY THAT TIME WILMA WILL BE MOVING VERY FAST. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON AND BEGIN WEAKENING RAPIDLY BY LATE AFTERNOON AS WILMA CONTINUES TO MOVE OFFSHORE INTO THE ATLANTIC. A COLD FRONT WILL BE PULLED SOUTHWARD BEHIND WILMA AND GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... THE THREAT OF STRONG TORNADOES WILL BE INCREASING TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH MID DAY MONDAY. THE GREATEST RISK OF TORNADOES WILL BE IN OUTER RAINBANDS PRECEDING WILMA AND IN THE INNER RAINBANDS NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE CENTER OF WILMA AS IT RAPIDLY CROSSES THE PENINSULA. TORNADO WATCHES WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED FOR SOME PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA LATER TODAY OR EARLY MONDAY. LATE SEASON TROPICAL CYCLONES MOVING IN FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO HAVE PRODUCED KILLER TORNADOES IN THE PAST. IF TORNADO WARNINGS ARE ISSUED TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY. THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A BLOCK HOME AWAY FROM WINDOWS. CHECK WITH COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGERS FOR SHELTER LOCATIONS FOR THOSE IN MANUFACTURED HOMES. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA THROUGH MONDAY. BECAUSE WILMA WILL BE MOVING RAPIDLY ACROSS THE STATE... WIDESPREAD EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF A COUPLE INCHES MAY OCCUR IN HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ALONG AND TO THE NORTH OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE AS OUTER RAINBANDS FROM WILMA LIFT NORTHWARD UP THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND INTERSECT THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THE HEAVIEST RAINS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING MAINLY FROM ORLANDO SOUTHWARD AS THE CORE OF HURRICANE WILMA MOVES ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA. WHILE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PINPOINT EXACTLY WHERE THIS MIGHT OCCUR... IT APPEARS THAT THE COASTAL COUNTIES WILL BE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...OR IN AN AREA THAT IS ALREADY EXPERIENCING DRAINAGE PROBLEMS...DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... BECAUSE OF THE ANTICIPATED RAPID MOVEMENT OF WILMA AND THE MOVEMENT OFFSHORE INTO THE ATLANTIC...HIGH IMPACT STORM SURGE AND COASTAL FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...A STORM TIDE OF PERHAPS 3 OR 4 FEET IS POSSIBLE NEAR THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE AROUND MID DAY MONDAY NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER OF WILMA MOVES OFFSHORE. EXTREMELY ROUGH SURF...BEACH EROSION...AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA BEACHES AS WILMA MOVES OUT INTO THE ATLANTIC. ...MARINE IMPACTS... THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM FOR MARINERS DUE TO ITS RAPID APPROACH AND ACCELERATION FROM THE SOUTHWEST ON MONDAY. MARINE CONDITIONS WILL QUICKLY BECOME HAZARDOUS BY EVENING WITH BUILDING SEAS AND THEN BECOME EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ON MONDAY. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY NWS MELBOURNE BY 6PM...OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT CAN BE VIEWED ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB PAGE AT... WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MLB AND CLICKING ON WILMA LOCAL INFO. $$ BCH