WTUS82 KMLB 240958 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 241300- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 550 AM EDT MON OCT 24 2005 ...IMMINENT LANDFALL FOR MAJOR HURRICANE WILMA... ...NEW INFORMATION... FOR EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE SHIFTING FROM TORNADOES...TO LOCAL FLOODING...AND THEN TO DESTRUCTIVE WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH WILMAS EYEWALL AS IT PLOWS ACROSS THE PENINSULA. ...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...OSCEOLA...AND LAKE COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 5 AM...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.4 WEST OR ABOUT 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NAPLES FLORIDA...AND ABOUT 175 MILES MILES SOUTHWEST OF STUART. WILMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH...WITH AN ADDITIONAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED EXPECTED. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO STAY SAFELY INSIDE AND CONTINUE TO LISTEN FOR TORNADO WARNINGS AND FLOOD WARNINGS FOR THEIR AREA EARLY THIS MORNING AND BE READY TO TAKE COVER. IN THE EVENT OF A TORNADO...OR EVEN FOR DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WITHIN THE INNER RAINBANDS AND EYEWALL 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. ...WIND IMPACTS... NOW THAT WILMA HAS BECOME STRONGER AND IS MOVING FASTER...THE THREAT FOR DESTRUCTIVE WINDS TO PENETRATE FARTHER INLAND...EVEN CROSSING THE PENINSULA TO THE EAST COAST...IS A VERY REAL CONCERN!!! THE THREAT FOR WIND GUSTS TO 110 MPH EXISTS FOR PARTS OF MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES AS THE LARGE EYEWALL OF WILMA APPROACHES...AND THEN MOVES OFFSHORE IN VICINITY OF STUART AND PALM BEACH LATER THIS MORNING. IF THE THREAT SITUATION PRESENTS ITSELF...WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EYEWALL AND INNER BANDS. PEOPLE SHOULD TREAT THESE WARNINGS AS THEY WOULD TORNADO WARNINGS...TAKING THE SAME ACTION TO PROTECT THEIR LIVES. AGAIN... THIS IS A VERY REAL CONCERN...ESPECIALLY FOR MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES. 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. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AND WIND GUSTS CAN NOW BE EXPECTED ACROSS OKEECHOBEE...OSCEOLA...MARTIN...SAINT LUCIE AND INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES...AND TO BEGIN SPREADING ACROSS BREVARD...ORANGE...LAKE... SEMINOLE...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES BY 8 AM. THE POTENTIAL FOR HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND WIND GUSTS WILL BEGIN FOR OKEECHOBEE...MARTIN... SOUTHERN OSCEOLA AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES BY SUNRISE...AND POSSIBLY SPREAD NORTH INTO INDIAN RIVER AND SOUTHERN BREVARD COUNTIES BY MID MORNING. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL 11 AM EDT MONDAY MORNING. THE THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL SLOWLY GIVE WAY TO THE ACTUAL WIND THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH WILMA AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES. HOWEVER...UNTIL THAT TIME...A HIGH THREAT FOR TORNADOES WILL PERSIST. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR OSCEOLA...ORANGE...SEMINOLE... LAKE...VOLUSIA...AND NORTH BREVARD COUNTIES UNTIL 11 AM. DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES INDICATE A LARGE AREA HAS RECEIVED ONE TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN WITH A FEW SPOTS RECEIVING TOTALS IN EXCESS OF SIX TO EIGHT INCHES SINCE SUNDAY EVENING. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED IN MANY AREAS WITH TWO TO FOUR INCHES OF ADDITIONAL RAINFALL POSSIBLE IN A FEW LOCATIONS THIS MORNING. ONCE HURRICANE WILMA MOVES OFFSHORE...THE RAINFALL WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH BY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. HEAVY RAIN AMOUNTS WILL FURTHER AGGRAVATE ANY ONGOING STANDING WATER AND FLOODING PROBLEMS...AND LEAD TO ADDITIONAL FLOODING OF STREETS...INTERSECTIONS AND OTHER POORLY DRAINED AREAS. ...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 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. THIS WILL CAUSE SOME FLOODING OF LOW AREAS OUTSIDE HOOVER DIKE PROTECTION INCLUDING TORRY...KREAMER AND RITTA ISLANDS AND SOME ACCESS ROADS. THE LAKE LEVEL ON SUNDAY WAS 15.6 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL. ...MARINE IMPACTS... THIS IS A DANGEROUS HURRICANE. MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY NWS MELBOURNE AROUND 9 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