WTUS82 KMLB 240351 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 241000- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 1150 PM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005 ...HURRICANE WILMA IS NOW A MAJOR HURRICANE... ...NEW INFORMATION... WILMA IS NOW A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 115 MPH. WILMA CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE TOWARD THE LOWER SOUTHWEST COAST OF FLORIDA WITH LANDFALL EXPECTED AROUND 5 TO 6 AM. THIS MEANS THAT THE ONSET OF TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS MAY ARRIVE A FEW HOURS EARLIER THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECAST FOR EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...ESPECIALLY FOR OKEECHOBEE... MARTIN...AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES. ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM JUPITER INLET TO TITUSVILLE...WITH A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NORTH OF TITUSVILLE TO SAINT AUGUSTINE. 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... THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 83.7 WEST OR ABOUT 170 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NAPLES FLORIDA...AND ABOUT 290 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT PIERCE. WILMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 18 MPH...WITH AN ADDITIONAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED EXPECTED. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... RESIDENTS SHOULD BE BRINGING THEIR HURRICANE PREPARATIONS TO AN END AND BE RETREATING TO THEIR DESIGNATED SAFE PLACE ACCORDING TO THEIR ACTION PLAN...STAYING INDOORS FOR THE OVERNIGHT AND MORNING PERIODS. IMPORTANTLY...RESIDENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO LISTEN FOR TORNADO WARNINGS AND FLOOD WARNINGS FOR THEIR AREA AND BE READY TO TAKE COVER OVERNIGHT. IF WARNINGS ARE ISSUED...PLEASE TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY. DURING SUNDAY EVENING...A TORNADO MOVED THROUGH COCOA VILLAGE IN BREVARD COUNTY CAUSING DAMAGE. IN THE EVENT OF A TORNADO...OR EVEN FOR DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WITHIN THE INNER RAINBANDS OF WILMA...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BLOCK HOME OR BUILDING...AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS. NOW THAT WILMA HAS BECOME STRONGER AND MOVING FASTER...THE THREAT FOR DESTRUCTIVE WINDS TO PENETRATE FARTHER INLAND...EVEN CROSSING THE PENINSULA TO THE EAST COAST...IS VERY REAL CONCERN!!! ...WIND IMPACTS... 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 OVERNIGHT AND SPREAD ACROSS BREVARD...ORANGE...LAKE...SEMINOLE...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES STARTING BEFORE SUNRISE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN IMPACTING OKEECHOBEE...MARTIN...SOUTHERN OSCEOLA AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES BY SUNRISE...AND POSSIBLY SPREAD NORTH INTO INDIAN RIVER AND SOUTHERN BREVARD COUNTIES BY MID MORNING. BECAUSE THE OF THE RAPID MOVEMENT OF WILMA...WINDS WILL BE HIGHEST IMMEDIATELY NEAR THE CENTER AND TO THE RIGHT. IT IS LIKELY THAT A BAND OF DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 100 MPH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE PENINSULA MONDAY MORNING. THESE DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF CAUSING DAMAGE TO ROOFING MATERIALS...AS WELL AS EXPOSED DOORS AND WINDOWS. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE WILL OCCUR TO MOBILE HOMES THAT HAPPEN TO BE IN THE PATH OF THE DESTRUCTIVE WINDS. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES WILL OCCUR FROM DOWNED TREES AND LARGE SIGNS. A FEW ROADS MAY BECOME BLOCKED DUE TO SOME LARGE DEBRIS...ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE MAIN WIND SWATH OF THE CORE WINDS. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL 11 AM EDT MONDAY MORNING. THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES IS HIGH. STRONG AND LONGER-LIVED TORNADOES HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED IN THE KEYS...AND ALSO BETWEEN FORT DRUM IN OKEECHOBEE COUNTY TO BREVARD COUNTY AT COCOA VILLAGE. THE THREAT OF STRONG AND LONGER-LIVED TORNADOES WILL BE INCREASING OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH MID MORNING. HISTORICALLY...LATE SEASON TROPICAL CYCLONES MOVING IN FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO HAVE PRODUCED KILLER TORNADOES. THEREFORE...TAKE TORNADO WARNINGS SERIOUSLY. ...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 SEVERAL INCHES MAY OCCUR IN HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. 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 OVERNIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...MAINLY FROM DAYTONA TO ORLANDO AND SOUTHWARD AS THE CORE OF HURRICANE WILMA PLOWS ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA. ...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 BEFORE AND AROUND THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE 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 HURRICANE FOR MARINERS DUE TO ITS RAPID APPROACH AND ACCELERATION FROM THE SOUTHWEST. MARINE CONDITIONS WILL QUICKLY BECOME HAZARDOUS WITH BUILDING SEAS AND THEN BECOME EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY NWS MELBOURNE AROUND 3 AM...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. $$ DWS