000 WTUS82 KMLB 061238 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 061615- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 835 AM EDT MON SEP 6 2004 ...THE CENTER OF FRANCES NOW OUT OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND CONTINUING TO MOVE AWAY FROM EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES UNTIL 2 PM... ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING DROPPED FROM COCOA BEACH SOUTHWARD... ...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING DROPPED FOR OSCEOLA AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES... ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FROM COCOA BEACH NORTH TO FLAGLER BEACH WHICH INCLUDES VOLUSIA AND NORTHERN BREVARD COUNTIES... ...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING CONTINUES FOR LAKE...ORANGE... SEMINOLE...INLAND VOLUSIA COUNTIES... ...HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM COCOA BEACH SOUTH TO JUPITER INLET WHICH INCLUDES MARTIN...SAINT LUCIE...INDIAN RIVER...AND SOUTH BREVARD COUNTIES... ...FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY 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 8 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 83.6 WEST...OR ABOUT 110 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF APALACHICOLA. THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM FRANCES HAS BEEN DRIFTING NORTHWARD BUT A NORTHWEST TRACK NEAR 12 MPH IS EXPECTED TO RESUME...TAKING IT AWAY FROM EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE 65 MPH NEAR THE CORE...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR IT TO REGAIN HURRICANE STATUS BEFORE MAKING ITS SECOND LANDFALL ALONG THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. PERSONS WHO EVACUATED OUT OF THE AREA SHOULD BE INFORMED AS TO THE LATEST HAZARD SITUATION WITH FRANCES RELATIVE TO THEIR CURRENT LOCATION...THEIR INTENDED RETURN ROUTE AND DESTINATION...AND LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACCESSING LOCAL BARRIER ISLANDS. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... RESIDENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO OBEY LOCAL OFFICIALS WHILE BEING A GOOD CITIZEN...FRIEND...AND NEIGHBOR...AS RECOVERY MODE ENTERS FULL SWING. FOR THOSE WITHOUT POWER...BE EXTRA CAREFUL. IF USING A GENERATOR... PLACE IT IN A WELL VENTILATED LOCATION. DO NOT RUN A GENERATOR INSIDE YOUR HOME OR WITHIN YOUR ATTACHED GARAGE. ALSO...SOME CITY UTILITY OFFICIALS HAVE IMPOSED ORDERS FOR BOILING WATER FOR HEALTH AND SANITATION PURPOSES. AS CLEAN UP AND DAMAGE ASSESSMENT EFFORTS CONTINUE...TAKE CARE TO AVOID DOWNED ELECTRICAL WIRES. BE CAUTIOUS WHEN USING CHAINSAWS AND AXES. IF YOU MUST GO UP ON YOUR ROOF...BE AWARE THAT HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES...ARE STILL IN THE FORECAST. DO NOT SLIP AND FALL...AND BEWARE THE DANGERS OF LIGHTNING. IN GENERAL...PLEASE CONSIDER THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM RECENT HURRICANE CHARLEY AS SEVERAL FLORIDIANS STILL DIED OR WERE INJURED AFTER THE STORM. ...WIND IMPACTS... FOR THIS LABOR DAY...THE MAIN CONCERN IS FOR OCCASIONAL WINDY AND RAINY CONDITIONS AS BACKSIDE RAINBANDS PASS OVER THE AREA... ESPECIALLY FOR AREAS NORTH OF ORLANDO AND COCOA BEACH. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BE 15 TO 25 MPH...AND A LITTLE HIGHER OVER INTERIOR SECTIONS TO 35 MPH. GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AND WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO COMPLETELY EXIT THE AREA AS CONDITIONS GRADUALLY IMPROVE BY LATER TODAY. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... LARGE SWELLS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST TODAY. THEY WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS AND RIP CURRENTS AT THE BEACHES. ADDITIONAL BEACH EROSION WILL BE POSSIBLE AROUND THE EARLY AFTERNOON HIGH TIDE. FOR CURIOUS BEACH GOERS...ACCESS TO THE BEACHES WILL LIKELY BE RESTRICTED IN MANY PLACES. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR TODAY. DOPPLER RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES INDICATE 8 TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE ALREADY FALLEN NEAR VER0 BEACH AND ACROSS THE INTERSTATE 4 CORRIDOR IN VOLUSIA COUNTY. THE RAINFALL EVENT FROM FRANCES IS NOT YET OVER AS WIDESPREAD STORM TOTALS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH ADDITIONAL RAINBANDS TODAY. LOCALIZED EVENT AMOUNTS OF 16 TO 18 INCHES ARE STILL POSSIBLE AS BACKSIDE RAINBANDS PASS OVER. SHORT PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN WILL QUICKLY CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR RECOVERY WORK UNTIL FRANCES TOTALLY EXITS THE REGION. ALTHOUGH THE PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION IS HIGH TODAY FOR THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA...EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LOCALIZED...UP TO 3 ADDITIONAL INCHES. ALSO...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 AND LANDFALLING WATERSPOUTS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN ENHANCED OUTER RAINBANDS TODAY AS THEY MOVE SOUTH TO NORTH THROUGH THE AREA. THE THREAT FOR MULTIPLE SHORT-LIVED TORNADOES HAS INCREASED...THEREFORE A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON. RESIDENTS WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE TO THE SKY WHILE LISTENING FOR WARNINGS. SINCE MOVEMENT WILL BE VERY FAST...REACTION TIME WILL BE SHORTENED. ...MARINE IMPACTS... TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST FOR THE COASTAL WATERS FROM COCOA BEACH NORTHWARD. WINDS WILL BE SOUTH AT 25 TO 30 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 45 KNOTS IN PASSING SQUALLS WITH SEAS 10 TO 15 FEET. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE FOR THE WATERS SOUTH OF COCOA BEACH. ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... REPEATING...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR COASTAL COUNTIES FROM COCOA BEACH NORTHWARD. ALSO...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE...ORANGE... SEMINOLE...INLAND VOLUSIA COUNTIES... ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT TROPICAL STORM LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 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 $$ DWS