000 WTUS82 KMLB 050048 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 050330- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 848 PM EDT SAT SEP 4 2004 ...DESTRUCTIVE EYEWALL OF FRANCES MAKING ITS WAY TOWARD THE SAINT LUCIE AND MARTIN COUNTY COAST... ...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... ...TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL 8 AM... ...FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...FLOOD WARNING FOR INDIAN RIVER...MARTIN...ST. LUCIE...LAKE... VOLUSIA...SEMINOLE...OSCEOLA...BREVARD...ORANGE...AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES... ...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... THROUGH 10 PM...RAINBANDS WILL CONTINUE TO SPIRAL ONSHORE INTO EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA THIS EVENING AROUND THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WHICH WILL MOVE ONSHORE ALONG THE MARTIN COUNTY COAST. RAINBANDS FROM EXTREME SOUTHERN BREVARD...INDIAN RIVER AND INTO OSCEOLA AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES WILL BE CAPABLE OF SUSTAINED WINDS REACHING NEAR HURRICANE FORCE BY THE LATE EVENING AS HURRICANE FRANCES APPROACHES THE COAST. ACROSS VOLUSIA...NORTHERN BREVARD...ORANGE...SEMINOLE...AND LAKE COUNTIES...WINDS WILL GUST TO HURRICANE FORCE IN RAINBANDS THROUGH THE LATE EVENING. THE THREAT FOR DEADLY TORNADOES IS ALSO INCREASING WITH DISCRETE CELLS MOVING ONSHORE ACROSS BREVARD COUNTY THROUGH MIDNIGHT. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... THE CURRENT FORECAST HAS FRANCES MAKING LANDFALL AROUND THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. THIS WOULD PRODUCE MAXIMUM STORM TIDES OF SEVEN OR EIGHT FEET MAINLY NORTH 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...MARTIN...ST. LUCIE...LAKE...VOLUSIA...SEMINOLE...OSCEOLA...BREVARD...ORANGE...AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES THROUGH MIDDAY 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 8 PM EDT THE LARGE EYE OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.4 WEST OR ABOUT 50 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF PALM BEACH FLORIDA. FRANCES HAS BEEN DRIFTING SLOWLY WEST-NORTHWESTWARD NEAR 5 MPH. A SLOW WEST OR WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TONIGHT. ON THIS TRACK...THE STRONGEST WINDS SURROUNDING THE LARGE EYE OF FRANCES SHOULD REACH THE FLORIDA EAST COAST SOON. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE BEFORE LANDFALL. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... THIS IS A DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. WINDS OF HURRICANE FORCE WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES...TOPPLE TREES AND POWER POLES AND CAUSE FLYING DEBRIS TO BREAK WINDOWS AND GLASS DOORS...MAINLY ALONG THE MARTIN...ST. LUCIE AND INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES. REMAIN INDOORS IN A STURDY ROOM...AWAY FROM EXPOSED WINDOWS OR DOORS. THE EAST AND NORTHEAST SIDE OF STRUCTURES WILL TAKE THE BRUNT OF THE WINDS. TORNADOES WILL POSE AN ADDITIONAL THREAT THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. STAY SAFELY INSIDE IN A CENTRAL LOCATION WITHIN A STURDY STRUCTURE. IT IS UNWISE TO VENTURE OUTSIDE TONIGHT. STAY INDOORS. THIS IS A CRITICALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. 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 ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL 8 AM. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... THROUGH MIDNIGHT THE GREATEST TORNADO THREAT WILL BE FROM A BAND OF SHOWERS MOVING ON SHORE BETWEEN SCOTTSMORE AND COCOA BEACH IN NORTHERN BREVARD COUNTY. THIS INCLUDES CAPE KENNEDY AND TITUSVILLE. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 11 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