000 WTUS82 KMLB 051305 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 051900- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 905 AM EDT SUN SEP 5 2004 ...INNER RAINBANDS OF HURRICANE FRANCES RELENTLESSLY POUNDING BREVARD AND INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES AND SPREADING OVER VOLUSIA COUNTY... ...CENTER OF FRANCES INLAND OVER NORTHEAST OKEECHOBEE COUNTY... ...HURRICANE WARNING FROM SOUTH OF FLAGLER BEACH TO NORTH OF DEERFIELD BEACH WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST... ...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING FOR OSCEOLA AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES... ...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR ORANGE...LAKE...SEMINOLE...AND INTERIOR VOLUSIA COUNTIES... ...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL 2 PM EDT... ...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. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 9 AM EDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH OF MELBOURNE OR NEAR FORT DRUM IN NORTHEAST OKEECHOBEE COUNTY. FRANCES IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 7 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 90 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FURTHER WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AS THE CENTER MOVES SLOWLY INLAND. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... EVEN THOUGH THE CENTER OF FRANCES IS OVER LAND...EXTENSIVE RAINBANDS ROTATING ONSHORE OVER VOLUSIA...BREVARD AND INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES WILL CONTINUE THE THREAT OF HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND HIGHER GUSTS. BETWEEN 8 AND 9 AM WIND GUSTS OF 80 TO 95 MPH HAVE BEEN REPORTED. EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOW THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND DAY OF HIGH WINDS FROM FRANCIS RESIDENTS MUST REMAIN IN SHELTER AND NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE UNTIL WINDS GRADUALLY SUBSIDE MUCH LATER TODAY. ...WIND IMPACTS... INTENSE INNER RAINBANDS OF FRANCES WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ONSHORE ON THE NORTH AND EAST SIDE OF FRANCES AND BRING DAMAGING WINDS TO HURRICANE FORCE WITH HIGHER GUSTS NOW EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 80 TO 90 MPH RANGE. WIND GUSTS TO 74 MPH WERE OBSERVED AT THE MELBOURNE NWS OFFICE AT 845 AND 9AM. THE THREAT OF HURRICANE FORCE WIND GUSTS IS NOW INCREASING OVER VOLUSIA COUNTY. WE CAN EXPECT THESE HIGH WINDS TO LAST THROUGH THE MORNING AS FRANCES CONTINUES TO PULL RAINBANDS IN OFF THE ATLANTIC WITH WINDS FINALLY BEGINNING TO TAPER OFF BY LATE AFTERNOON ON THE COAST...BUT INCREASING OVER INLAND AREAS DURING THE DAY. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... EVEN THOUGH THE EYE OF FRANCES HAS MOVED ONSHORE...HIGH WINDS ROTATING COUNTER CLOCKWISE AROUND THE CIRCULATION CENTER WILL DRIVE WATER UP ONTO THE BEACHES. SURGE VALUES OF 4 TO 6 FEET ARE STILL POSSIBLE THROUGH MID MORNING FROM FORT PIERCE TO COCOA BEACH... ACCOMPANIED BY BATTERING WAVES. NORTH OF COCOA...2 TO 3 FEET CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH 4 TO 5 FEET ON THE RIM OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE AS WINDS PUSH LAKE WATER SOUTH AND THEN LATER NORTH. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR BREVARD AND INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES AS HEAVY RAIN MOVES ONSHORE WITH INTENSE RAINBANDS. STORM TOTAL RAINFALLS OF UP TO 14 TO 16 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED OFFSHORE WHERE THE NORTH SIDE OF FRANCES HAS SLOWLY MOVED OVERNIGHT. TOTALS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES ARE CERTAINLY POSSIBLE OVER MUCH OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA AS THE RAINBANDS ON THE NORTH AND EAST SIDE OF FRANCES MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA TODAY AND TONIGHT... WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS TO 18 INCHES MAINLY WHERE THE INNER RAINBANDS PASS OVER. SIGNIFICANT LOCAL FLOODING IS EXPECTED AND FLOODING ON THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER AND CENTRAL FLORIDA LAKES WILL FOLLOW IN THE DAYS TO COME. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... ISOLATED TORNADOES OR WATERSPOUTS REMAIN A POSSIBILITY WITH RAINBANDS MOVING ONSHORE AND LATER TODAY AS RAINBANDS CONTINUE INLAND. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT MOST OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON. ...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 AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES AND AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR ORANGE...LAKE...SEMINOLE... AND INLAND VOLUSIA 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 2 PM. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND NOON 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 $$ HAGEMEYER