WTUS82 KMLB 240651 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 250 AM EDT MON OCT 24 2005 ...MAJOR HURRICANE WILMA MAKING ITS APPROACH... ...NEW INFORMATION... TORNADO AND FLOOD WARNINGS ARE BEING ISSUED IN ADVANCE OF WILMA. ...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... AT 1 AM...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 83.3 WEST OR ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NAPLES FLORIDA...AND ABOUT 260 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 CONTINUE TO LISTEN FOR TORNADO WARNINGS AND FLOOD WARNINGS FOR THEIR AREA AND BE READY TO TAKE COVER OVERNIGHT. AS WARNINGS ARE ISSUED...PLEASE TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY. DURING SUNDAY EVENING...A TORNADO MOVED THROUGH COCOA VILLAGE IN BREVARD COUNTY CAUSING DAMAGE. ALSO...A FLOOD WARNING WAS ISSUED FOR LAKE COUNTY WITH FLOOD WATERS REPORTED IN THE CITY OF MASCOTTE. 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 A 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 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 OF STRONG AND LONGER-LIVED TORNADOES IS HIGH AND WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT THROUGH MID MORNING. THROUGH 5 AM...ISOLATED TORNADOES MAY OCCUR AHEAD OF WILMA...WITH AN INCREASING THREAT FOR MULTIPLE TORNADOES FROM THE SOUTH WITH THE APPROACHING RAINBANDS OF WILMA. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM FOR CENTRAL LAKE COUNTY. REPORTS OF FLOODING IN THE CITY OF MASCOTTE HAVE BEEN RECEIVED... INCLUDING AT THE CITY FIRE STATION. ESTIMATED AMOUNTS OF 6 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE LOCALLY OCCURRED...WITH 1 TO 3 THREE INCHES STILL POSSIBLE. ACROSS ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY. BECAUSE WILMA WILL BE MOVING RAPIDLY ACROSS THE STATE...WIDESPREAD EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER... RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES MAY OCCUR IN HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS TO 8 INCHES FOR THE EVENT. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... A STORM TIDE OF 2 OR 4 FEET IS POSSIBLE 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. FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE...A STORM SURGE OF 5 TO 7 FEET ABOVE CURRENT LAKE LEVELS IS EXPECTED FROM EARLY MORNING TO AROUND NOON MONDAY OVER AREAS INSIDE THE DIKE FROM LAKEPORT TO CLEWISTON...WITH 2 TO 5 FEET ABOVE CURRENT LAKE LEVELS ELSEWHERE FROM BUCKHEAD RIDGE SOUTH TO LAKEPORT...AND FROM CLEWISTON THROUGH PORT MAYACA. THE LAKE LEVEL ON SUNDAY WAS 15.6 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL. ...MARINE IMPACTS... THIS IS A DANGEROUS HURRICANE FOR MARINERS DUE TO ITS RAPID APPROACH AND ACCELERATION FROM THE SOUTHWEST. MARINE CONDITIONS WILL QUICKLY BECOME EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY NWS MELBOURNE AROUND 6 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