000 WTUS82 KMLB 260959 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 261615- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 555 AM EDT SUN SEP 26 2004 ...JEANNE NOW MOVING THROUGH INLAND SECTIONS AS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE... ...A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM HALLANDALE TO SAINT AUGUSTINE WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST... ...AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM HALLANDALE TO SAINT AUGUSTINE...WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COASTAL COUNTIES FROM MARTIN TO VOLUSIA. THE HURRICANE WARNING INCLUDES LAKE OKEECHOBEE. AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES...INCLUDING LAKE...SEMINOLE...ORANGE... OSCEOLA...AND OKEECHOBEE. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES IN ANTICIPATION OF HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE JEANNE. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR INDIAN RIVER...OSCEOLA...BREVARD... ORANGE...LAKE...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES UNTIL NOON. A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR BREVARD...OSCEOLA...ORANGE... SEMINOLE...LAKE...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES UNTIL 5 PM... ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 5 AM EDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE JEANNE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.4 NORTH... LONGITUDE 81.1 WEST OR ABOUT 45 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF VERO BEACH FLORIDA. THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE 110 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. JEANNE IS MOVING SLIGHTLY NORTH OF DUE WEST NEAR 13 MPH...AND A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST IS EVENTUALLY EXPECTED. JEANNE MADE LANDFALL JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT NEAR THE SOUTHERN END OF HUTCHINSON ISLAND...JUST EAST OF STUART. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... AS THE EYEWALL AND INNER RAINBANDS MOVE FARTHER INLAND...RESIDENTS IN THE PATH SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM WITH NO WINDOWS SUCH AS A BATHROOM OR CLOSET WITHIN A WELL CONSTRUCTED HOUSE. RESIDENTS ALONG THE COAST FROM VERO BEACH TO TITUSVILLE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE OCCASIONAL HIGH WIND GUSTS AS ASSOCIATED BANDS MOVE ONSHORE. WINDS WERE RECENTLY GUSTING OVER 90 MPH IN THIS AREA... ESPECIALLY ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. THE EXTENT OF OVERNIGHT DAMAGE IS UNKNOWN. MORE DAMAGE IS YET TO COME FOR INTERIOR LOCATIONS. THERE WILL BE AN ANXIOUSNESS TO VENTURE OUTSIDE AS DAYLIGHT COMES. HOWEVER...PLEASE STAY INDOORS UNTIL LOCAL OFFICIALS INDICATE IT IS SAFE TO MOVE ABOUT...AND AFTER THE HAZARDOUS THREATS ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE DECREASE FOR YOUR AREA. THIS WILL ALLOW EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS TO PRECEDE. ACT WISELY AS JEANNE IS STILL POWERFUL AND DAMAGING. THE HURRICANE EVENT IS NOT OVER! ...WIND IMPACTS... THE WIND THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS HIGH. THE CENTER OF JEANNE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE FARTHER INLAND THROUGHOUT THE MORNING HOURS...BRINGING STRONG HURRICANE FORCE WINDS TO INTERIOR COUNTIES...THEN TOWARD THE WEST COAST. SINCE JEANNE WAS A MAJOR HURRICANE...IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME FOR APPRECIABLE WEAKENING TO OCCUR. RESIDENTS SHOULD NOT DROP THEIR GUARD SIMPLY BECAUSE JEANNE IS NOW WELL INLAND AND REDUCED TO A CATEGORY TWO WITH WINDS TO 110 MPH. ALTHOUGH DAMAGE REPORTS ARE VERY SKETCHY...INDICATIONS ARE THAT CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED OVERNIGHT WITH NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES NEAR STUART...FORT PIERCE...VERO BEACH...SEBASTIAN...PALM BAY...MELBOURNE...AND SATELLITE BEACH...WITH EARLY EVIDENCE OF SOME STRUCTURAL FAILURES. RESIDENTS YET TO FEEL JEANNES WRATH SHOULD BE ADVISED OF THIS HIGH WIND THREAT. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN VICINITY OF THE EYEWALL AND ALONG COAST IN BREVARD AND INDIAN RIVER COUNTIES. THIS MAY PERSIST FOR A FEW MORE HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD FARTHER NORTH AND WEST ACROSS REMAINING SECTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. ALSO...SQUALLS IN OUTER BANDS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ONSHORE FROM VOLUSIA COUNTY AT DAYTONA BEACH AND NEW SMYRNA BEACH... TO ACROSS METRO ORLANDO...TO KISSIMMEE. IF THE EYE PASSES OVER YOUR LOCATION...YOU SHOULD REMAIN IN YOUR SECURE SHELTER AS WINDS WILL DRAMATICALLY INCREASE FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AS THE EAST EYEWALL REACHES YOUR LOCATION. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... STORM SURGE WATERS WILL BEGIN TO GRADUALLY SUBSIDE AS JEANNE MOVES EVEN FARTHER WEST. HOWEVER...CONTINUED STRONG ONSHORE FLOW NORTH OF THE CENTER TRACK...LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...AND APPROACHING TIMES OF HIGH TIDE WILL SLOW THE RETREAT OF SURGE WATERS. A STORM SURGE OF UP TO 5 FEET ABOVE THE PRESENT WATER LEVEL IS LIKELY TO OCCUR MAINLY ON THE EAST SIDE OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... THE FLOOD THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE REMAINS EXTREME. AS A RESULT...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES. IMPORTANTLY...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR INDIAN RIVER...OSCEOLA...BREVARD...ORANGE...LAKE...AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES UNTIL NOON. RADAR ESTIMATES INDICATE 4 TO 6 INCHES HAVE ALREADY FALLEN FROM MELBOURNE...TO VERO BEACH...WITH ADDITIONAL RAIN EXPECTED. 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. THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER WHICH IS ALREADY IN FLOOD CAN EXPECT ADDITIONAL RISES...WITH MAJOR FLOODING A POSSIBILITY. IF SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE REALIZED OVER THE SAINT JOHNS BASIN IN CENTRAL FLORIDA... AN INITIAL RISE IN THE WATER LEVEL NEAR DELAND...ABOVE LAKE HARNEY... AND NEAR SANFORD...WILL OCCUR WITH THE HEAVY RAIN. THEN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...RIVER LEVELS WILL RESPOND TO THE ADDITIONAL RUNOFF. ...TORNADO IMPACTS... A THREAT FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL INCREASE TO MODERATE LEVELS FROM BREVARD AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES NORTHWARD. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND NOON ...OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. $$ DWS