000 WTUS82 KMLB 250255 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 251000- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 1055 PM EDT FRI SEP 24 2004 ...HURRICANE JEANNE MOVING WEST TOWARD EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...A HURRICANE WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM FLORIDA CITY TO SAINT AUGUSTINE WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST... ...AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE... ...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT 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. ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM FLORIDA CITY TO SAINT AUGUSTINE...WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COASTAL COUNTIES FROM MARTIN TO VOLUSIA. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY FOR THESE LOCATIONS IN THE NEXT 36 HOURS. THE HURRICANE WARNING INCLUDES LAKE OKEECHOBEE. AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES...INCLUDING LAKE...SEMINOLE...ORANGE...OSCEOLA...AND OKEECHOBEE. THIS MEANS THAT HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 11 PM EDT THE LARGE EYE OF HURRICANE JEANNE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 74.9 WEST OR ABOUT 315 MILES EAST OF THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST. JEANNE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 12 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 100 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS AND JEANNE HAS THE CHANCE TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE BEFORE LANDFALL IN FLORIDA. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... WHILE THE DURATION OF THE WORST WEATHER CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE JEANNE IS EXPECTED TO BE SHORTER THAN WHAT OCCURRED WITH HURRICANE FRANCES...THE SEVERITY OF WEATHER CONDITIONS AROUND THE AREA OF LANDFALL MAY ACTUALLY BE WORSE...AS JEANNE MAY BECOME A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE AT LANDFALL. ALTHOUGH THIS HAS BEEN AN EXHAUSTING HURRICANE SEASON WITH MANY AREAS HAVING ALREADY EXPERIENCED CONSIDERABLE PROPERTY DAMAGE... RESIDENTS WILL NEED TO AVOID COMPLACENCY! THERE IS STILL A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO COMPLETE PREPAREDNESS TASKS DURING MUCH OF SATURDAY. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS OR DRIVING SATURDAY...BE ESPECIALLY WATCHFUL OF RAIN SQUALLS. THEY WILL CONTAIN THE FIRST STRONG WINDS OF JEANNE. STAY INFORMED OF THE LATEST FORECASTS AND WEATHER THREATS...AND START IMPLEMENTING YOUR HURRICANE PLAN OF ACTION. CONSIDER YOUR VULNERABILITY TO HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...TO DEADLY STORM SURGE...TO FLOODING RAIN. TAKE ALL REASONABLE AND NECESSARY ACTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. HELP OTHERS IN NEED WHEN POSSIBLE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE GIVEN THE FACT THAT TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDOWN SATURDAY...YOUR JEWISH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS WILL BE OBSERVING YOM KIPPUR. THEY WILL NOT BE WATCHING TV OR LISTENING TO THE RADIO...AND THEREFORE MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THE SIGNIFICANT THREATS POSED BY HURRICANE JEANNE. ...WIND IMPACTS... NOW THAT JEANNE IS MOVING A LITTLE FASTER...THE WIND THREAT FOR JEANNE WILL ARRIVE A BET SOONER THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. THE WIND-THREAT IS EXTREME...ESPECIALLY FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES. IT IS POSSIBLE FOR JEANNE TO STRENGTHEN TO A MAJOR CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE WITH 115 MPH WINDS...AS IT APPROACHES THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST. PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FORCE WINDS SHOULD BE WELL UNDER WAY. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST STARTING EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON OVER MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES...AND THEN SPREAD NORTH ALONG THE COAST AND WEST INTO THE INTERIOR. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REACH THE COAST OVER MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES IN THE EVENING SATURDAY. DAMAGE FROM RECENT HURRICANES CHARLEY AND FRANCES ARE EXPECTED TO COMPOUND THE WIND EFFECTS FROM JEANNE. HOMES...TREES...AND POWER GRIDS ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO DAMAGE IN THEIR WEAKENED STATE. POWER OUTAGES MAY BE LONGER IN MANY AREAS THAN WHAT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED. DEBRIS THAT HAS YET TO BE REMOVED HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE INJURY AND DAMAGE. IF YOU LIVE IN A MOBILE HOME...A HOME WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE...OR IN A PLACE THAT OFFERS LITTLE PROTECTION FROM HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...STRONGLY CONSIDER MOVING TO A SAFE SHELTER. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... THE SURGE THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS EXTREME NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE LANDFALL LOCATION. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ROUGH POUNDING SURF...RIP CURRENTS AND BEACH EROSION ARE ALREADY OCCURRING DUE TO STRONG HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH OF JEANNE. RESIDENTS SHOULD ANTICIPATE A STORM SURGE OF 6 TO 8 FEET DEPENDING ON THE LOCAL TIDE DURING LANDFALL. THE GREATEST SURGE WILL OCCUR AROUND 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING WHEN LOCAL ASTRONOMICAL TIDES WILL BE RUNNING NEAR 4 FEET. THIS PLUS THE STORM SURGE COULD PRODUCE A BEACH FRONT SURGE NEAR 10 FEET. THE STORM SURGE EFFECTS WILL BE COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT THE DUNES ARE IN A HIGHLY WEAKENED STATE. MANY BEACHFRONT PROPERTIES HAVE ALREADY SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND EROSION...MAKING THEM VERY VULNERABLE TO FURTHER DAMAGE. INUNDATION OF THE IMMEDIATE COASTAL ZONE BY SEA WATER IS POSSIBLE WITH SURGE AND WAVES BREACHING THE WEAKENED DUNES. NEAR SHORE ROADWAYS AND STRUCTURES ARE AT RISK. PROPERTIES AROUND INLETS AND ADJACENT CANALS WILL ALSO BE VULNERABLE TO INUNDATION AS WATER BACKS UP...ESPECIALLY AROUND THE TIMES OF HIGH TIDES. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... THE FLOOD THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS EXTREME. AS A RESULT... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES. THE WATER TABLE IS ALREADY HIGH ACROSS EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA DUE TO COPIOUS RAINFALL THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER...INCLUDING HURRICANES CHARLEY AND FRANCES. MANY AREAS ALREADY HAVE STANDING WATER...AND IN SOME CASES...PARTICULARLY ALONG THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER...PROPERTIES ARE ALREADY UNDER WATER. BETWEEN 6 AND 12 INCHES OF RAIN ARE FORECAST ALONG AND NEAR THE TRACK OF THE CENTER OF JEANNE. THIS WILL AGGRAVATE PRE-EXISTING FLOODING CONDITIONS...AND ADDITIONAL FLOODING IS HIGHLY LIKELY IN MANY AREAS. BLOCKAGE OF STORM DRAINS...STREAMS...CANALS AND OTHER NATURAL AND MAN MADE RETENTION AREAS MAY ALSO AGGRAVATE THE POTENTIAL FLOOD THREAT AS THESE HAVE VERY LITTLE ROOM TO HANDLE ADDITIONAL RUNOFF. THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER WHICH IS ALREADY IN FLOOD CAN EXPECT ADDITIONAL RISES...WITH RECORD FLOODING A POSSIBILITY. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... THE TORNADO THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS MODERATE. AS WITH ANY HURRICANE...THERE ALWAYS EXISTS THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES. AT THIS TIME...THE MOST FAVORED LOCATION FOR TORNADOES MAY REMAIN OFFSHORE... OR CONFINED TO THE IMMEDIATE COAST...BUT IS LIKELY TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST THREATS TO ARRIVE. PLEASE FACTOR THIS IN TO YOUR PREPARATION PLANS. ...MARINE IMPACTS... THE MARINE IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE WILL BE EXTREME. HIGH SEAS AND STRONG WINDS ALREADY BUFFETING THE ATLANTIC WATERS WILL ONLY GET WORSE AS JEAN APPROACHES. JEANNE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE OVER THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COASTAL WATERS. SEAS MAY GROW TO OVER 20 FEET INTO SATURDAY WITH INTRACOASTAL WATERS BECOMING VERY ROUGH. WINDS MAY REACH AS HIGH AS 100 KNOTS AS JEANNE APPROACHES THE COAST BETWEEN FLAGLER BEACH AND JUPITER INLET. PERSONS WHO MAY BE SECURING BOATS OR DOCKS ALONG THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY SHOULD MAKE PREPARATIONS AS IF A CATEGORY THREE LANDFALLING HURRICANE WAS APPROACHING THEIR AREA. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING...OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. $$ DECKER