000 WTUS82 KMLB 051513 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 051812- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 1112 AM EDT SUN SEP 5 2004 ...DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS OF 70 TO 80 MPH WORKING ACROSS COASTAL INDIAN RIVER...SOUTH BREVARD...AND NORTHEAST OSCEOLA COUNTIES... ...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...WITH A FLOOD WARNING FOR BREVARD...INDIAN RIVER AND ST. LUCIE 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. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 11 AM EDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.2 WEST...ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF SEBRING AND 80 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF TAMPA FLORIDA. THE LARGE CIRCULATION OF FRANCES IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 9 MPH. A CONTINUED WEST TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TRACK ACROSS THE PENINSULA IS EXPECTED TODAY AND FRANCES SHOULD MOVE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO LATE TONIGHT OR MONDAY MORNING. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 90 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AS THE CORE OF FRANCES MOVES OVER LAND. INITIAL DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FROM SATELLITE BEACH INDICATES MANY HOUSES WITHIN 1500 FEET OF THE BEACH WITH MODERATE DAMAGE. ONE BUSINESS AND CONDO BUILDING DESTROYED BY FIRE. 50 TO 100 RESIDENCES...MAINLY CONDOS...UNINHABITABLE. 20 TO 30 BUSINESSES WITH MODERATE DAMAGE. MINIMUM WATER PRESSURE. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... WITH THE CENTER OF FRANCES MOVING WEST NORTHWEST ACROSS SOUTHERN OSCEOLA COUNTY WIDESPREAD WIND GUSTS TO HURRICANE STRENGTH ARE POSSIBLE OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL FLORIDA. 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... THE CENTER OF FRANCES IS DRIFTING ACROSS SOUTHEAST OSCEOLA COUNTY... PLACING MUCH OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA IN ITS STRONG NORTH QUADRANT. THE STORM IS CRAWLING TO THE NORTHWEST AND IS PUSHING THE NORTH AND EAST EYEWALL INTO SEMINOLE...ORANGE...AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES. DUE TO THE SLOW STORM MOVEMENT...IT MAY TAKE SEVERAL HOURS FOR THE EYEWALL TO PUSH THROUGH THE ORLANDO METRO AREA. AROUND 10 AM THIS MORNING ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REPORTED A WIND GUST TO 69 MPH. DESTRUCTIVE WIND GUSTS OF 70 TO 80 MPH OUT OF THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST CAN BE EXPECTED OVER SOUTH ORANGE...NORTH OSCEOLA...SOUTH BREVARD...AND EAST INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES. THESE WINDS WILL FURTHER DAMAGE STRUCTURES BATTERED BY THE LONG DURATION IMPACTS OF FRANCES. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... 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 NORTHEAST. ...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 3 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