000 WTUS82 KMLB 050256 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 050555- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 1100 PM EDT SAT SEP 4 2004 ...RAINBANDS WITH HURRICANE FORCE WIND GUSTS MOVING ONSHORE... ...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... AT 11 PM...THE WESTERN EYEWALL OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS MOVING SLOWLY ONSHORE ACROSS COASTAL MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES. A RECENT REPORT FROM THE MARTIN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT INDICATED A BEACH- SIDE WEATHER SENSOR REPORTED WINDS OF 80 TO 85 MPH AS THE EYE WALL MOVED ONSHORE. REPORTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED OF DOWNED TREES...TREES ON HOMES AND POWER LINES DOWN ACROSS EASTERN MARTIN COUNTY. THE WESTERN EYEWALL WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES WITH HURRICANE FORCE GUSTS TO 90 MPH. THE NORTHERN PART OF THE EYEWALL WILL MOVE ONSHORE AFTER MIDNIGHT AND MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 95 MPH FROM VERO BEACH TO FORT PIERCE AFTER MIDNIGHT. ADDITIONAL OUTER RAINBANDS WILL MOVE ONSHORE FROM SEBASTIAN INLET TO YEEHAW JUNCTION AND FORT DRUM AND BASINGER. THIS RAIN BAND WILL CONTAIN TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH POSSIBLE. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... MAXIMUM STORM TIDES OF SEVEN OR EIGHT FEET ARE EXPECTED MAINLY NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL...MOST LIKELY BETWEEN COCOA BEACH AND FT. PIERCE. 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. RADAR ESTIMATES OF RAINFALL SHOW BROAD AREAS OF 10 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN OVER THE OCEAN NORTH OF THE EYE WALL. ON LAND RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES HAVE BEEN INDICATED ALONG THE COAST BETWEEN MELBOURNE AND STUART. THIS HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY SLOW DEVELOPING SYSTEM AND EVEN THOUGH WINDS WILL DIMINISH OVER NIGHT...HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO FALL OVER THE CENTRAL PENINSULA WELL INTO SUNDAY. WIDESPREAD. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS...TO NEAR 20 INCHES...ARE EXPECTED OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA IN ASSOCIATION WITH FRANCES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 11 PM EDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.7 WEST OR ABOUT 35 MILES NORTHEAST OF WEST PALM BEACH FLORIDA. FRANCES IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 5 MPH. THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE EYEWALL HAS ALREADY MOVED OVER PORTIONS OF PALM BEACH...MARTIN AND ST LUCIE COUNTIES. A CONTINUED SLOW WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE INLAND ON SUNDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THERE IS STILL AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME STRENGTHENING IN THE SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE THE CENTER MOVES INLAND. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... THIS IS STILL A DANGEROUS WIND AND FLOODING 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... OVERNIGHT THE GREATEST TORNADO THREAT WILL BE FROM SHOWERS MOVING ON SHORE IN BREVARD COUNTY AND ALONG THE COAST FROM SEBASTIAN TO STUART. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 2 AM 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