000 WTUS82 KMLB 042100 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 042300- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 500 PM EDT SAT SEP 4 2004 ...STRONG OUTER RAINBANDS WITH GUSTS TO HURRICANE STRENGTH POUNDING COASTAL INDIAN RIVER ST. LUCIE AND MARTIN COUNTIES... ...FLOOD WARNING FOR INDIAN RIVER...MARTIN...ST. LUCIE COUNTIES... ...HURRICANE WARNING FROM SOUTH OF FLAGLER BEACH TO FLORIDA CITY WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST... ...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING FOR ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...VOLUSIA...LAKE...SEMINOLE... ORANGE...BREVARD...OSCEOLA...INDIAN RIVER...SAINT LUCIE...MARTIN AND OKEECHOBEE. ...WIND IMPACTS... HURRICANE FRANCES IS NEARLY STATIONARY 50 MILES EAST OF PALM BEACH. GUSTS 70 TO 100 MPH HAVE BEEN REPORTED OVER INDIAN RIVER...ST. LUCIE AND MARTIN COUNTIES. TREES DOWN...SEVERE DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS OFF LARGE BUILDINGS...INCLUDING CAR DEALERSHIPS AND DEPARTMENT STORES IN THE COASTAL COMMUNITIES. THIS EVENING STRONG RAINBANDS WILL MOVE ONSHORE ACROSS SOUTHERN BREVARD COUNTY NEAR MELBOURNE BEACH TO PALM BAY TO BLUE CYPRESS LAKE AND FORT DRUM. THESE BANDS MAY PRODUCE STRONG AND DAMAGING WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 65 TO 75 MPH. MANY REPORTS OF TREES BEING UPROOTED AND SIGNS BEING BLOWN DOWN HAVE ALSO BEEN RECEIVED. POWER POLES ALONG STATE ROUTE A-1-A NEAR SOUTH PATRICK HOUSING HAVE TOPPLED OR WERE LEANING HEAVILY. DAMAGE TO WINDOWS AND GLASS DOORS HAVE BEEN REPORTED SO FAR TO A FEW COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS ALONG A-1-A IN IN SATELLITE BEACH AND INDIAN HARBOR BEACH. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... STORM SURGE MODELS USING THE OFFICIAL TRACK FORECAST INDICATE THAT FRANCES WILL BE MAKING LANDFALL DURING THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT BETWEEN JUPITER INLET AND CAPE CANAVERAL. THIS WOULD PRODUCE MAXIMUM STORM TIDES OF SEVEN OR EIGHT FEET NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL...MOST LIKELY BREVARD AND INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES. NORTH OF CAPE CANAVERAL...A SURGE OF 3 TO 4 FEET IS LIKELY. BATTERING WAVES OF VERY LONG DURATION WILL BE OF GREAT CONCERN ALONG THE BEACHES. SIGNIFICANT WIND AND WAVE DAMAGE IS LIKELY IN THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR INDIAN RIVER...ST LUCIE AND MARTIN COUNTIES THROUGH TONIGHT. A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES THROUGH SUNDAY. CONTINUOUS RAINFALL RATES OF BETWEEN ONE HALF AND ONE INCH PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 6 HOURS...RESULTING IN THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TOTALS BETWEEN 3 AND 6 INCHES THROUGH EARLY EVENING. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS FORECAST THROUGH TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...SO AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF FLOODING IS POSSIBLE. THIS WARNING IS LIKELY TO BE EXTENDED. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 5 PM EDT THE LARGE EYE OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.3 WEST OR ABOUT 50 MILES EAST- NORTHEAST OF PALM BEACH FLORIDA. FRANCES HAS BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY FOR THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS BUT THE HURRICANE SHOULD BEGIN TO MOVE BETWEEN THE WEST AND WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 5 MPH. ON THIS TRACK...THE STRONGEST WINDS SURROUNDING THE LARGE EYE OF FRANCES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FLORIDA EAST COAST TONIGHT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE BEFORE LANDFALL. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... THIS WILL BE A LONG DURATION WIND AND RAIN EVENT. DO NOT GET CAUGHT TRYING TO DO THINGS OUTDOORS IN BETWEEN RAINBANDS...STAY PUT IN SHELTER. AS FRANCES MAKES LANDFALL THIS EVENING PEOPLE IN AND CLOSE TO THE CORE OF MAXIMUM WINDS SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IN A SMALL ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR SUCH AS A CLOSET OR BATHROOM. PUT AS MANY WALLS BETWEEN YOU AND THE HURRICANE WINDS AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. KEEP A BATTERY OPERATED NOAA WEATHER RADIO WITH YOU OR AM FM RADIO TO RECEIVE UPDATES AND WARNINGS. TORNADO WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED IF A HIGH THREAT OF TORNADOES OR DESTRUCTIVE WINDS WITH HURRICANE RAINBANDS ARE FORECAST USING DOPPLER RADAR. EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF STREETS...INTERSECTIONS ...LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS...AS WELL AS FLOODING OF RURAL ROADS...SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS. ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM FLAGLER BEACH SOUTH TO FLORIDA CITY...WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COASTAL COUNTIES...AND ALSO LAKE OKEECHOBEE. AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR OKEECHOBEE...OSCEOLA...ORANGE...LAKE ...INLAND VOLUSIA AND SEMINOLE COUNTIES. A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR INDIAN RIVER...ST LUCIE AND MARTIN COUNTIES THROUGH TONIGHT. A FLOOD WATCH IS UP FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN SOME OF THE STRONGER OUTER RAINBANDS AND THE THREAT WILL INCREASE AS THE INNER RAINBANDS OF FRANCES MOVE IN LATER TONIGHT. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 7 PM OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT...SEE THE MELBOURNE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB PAGE AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MLB $$ DECKER