000 WTUS82 KMLB 241139 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 241630- HURRICANE JEANNE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 730 AM EDT FRI SEP 24 2004 ...HURRICANE JEANNE TO APPROACH EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...HURRICANE WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM FLORIDA CITY TO SAINT AUGUSTINE TO INCLUDE ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST... ...HURRICANE WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE... ...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FOR ALL INLAND COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...A FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA 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. ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM FLORIDA CITY TO SAINT AUGUSTINE TO INCLUDE ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COASTAL COUNTIES FROM MARTIN COUNTY TO VOLUSIA COUNTY. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE FOR THESE LOCATIONS IN THE NEXT 36 HOURS. THE HURRICANE WATCH AREA INCLUDES LAKE OKEECHOBEE. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR ALL INLAND COUNTIES...TO INCLUDE LAKE...SEMINOLE...ORANGE...OSCEOLA...AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES. THIS MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA IN THE NEXT 36 HOURS. RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REMAIN INFORMED SINCE THE EXACT TRACK AND INTENSITY OF JEANNE IS STILL SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN. IT IS LIKELY THAT THIS WATCH WILL BE UPDATED LATER TODAY AS BETTER ESTIMATES OF THE HURRICANE FORCE WIND THREAT IS DETERMINED. ALSO...A FLOOD WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 5 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 71.6 WEST...OR ABOUT 340 MILES EAST OF GREAT ABACO ISLAND IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. JEANNE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 8 MPH WITH THIS MOTION EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR AWHILE TODAY...WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 100 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. A SLOW STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE AS JEANNE APPROACHES EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... FOR THE RESIDENTS OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE IN PUTTING UP YOUR GUARD. THIS HAS BEEN AN EXHAUSTING HURRICANE SEASON WITH MANY FOLKS HAVING ALREADY EXPERIENCED CONSIDERABLE PROPERTY DAMAGE AND PERSONAL STRESS. HOWEVER...HURRICANE JEANNE POSES A REAL AND GREAT THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITIES. BE STRONG AND TAKE PRECAUTION. HELP OTHERS IN NEED. STAY CALM. RESIDENTS SHOULD FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS FROM LOCAL OFFICIALS AS PREPARATIONS MOVE INTO FULL SWING. NOW IS THE TIME TO REACTIVATE YOUR FAMILY OR BUSINESS HURRICANE PLAN. 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. IMPORTANTLY...STAY INFORMED OF THE LATEST FORECAST AND THREAT SITUATION. ...WIND IMPACTS... THE WIND THREAT FOR JEANNE IS EXTREME...ESPECIALLY FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES. IT IS POSSIBLE FOR JEANNE TO STRENGTHEN TO 115 MPH AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE BAHAMAS AND TOWARD THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST. THIS WOULD MAKE JEANNE A MAJOR HURRICANE WITH CATEGORY THREE FORCE WINDS. OVER INLAND LOCATIONS...RESIDENTS SHOULD BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FORCE WINDS TOO AS THE WIND THREAT IS HIGH TO MODERATE. INLAND WIND WATCHES WILL LIKELY BE UPDATED LATER TODAY. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST BEGINNING SATURDAY AFTERNOON OVER MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES... AND THEN SPREAD NORTH AND WESTWARD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REACH THE COAST OVER MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES IN THE LATE EVENING SATURDAY OR AROUND MIDNIGHT SUNDAY. DUE TO RECENT HURRICANES CHARLEY AND FRANCES...THE AREA IS IN A CONDITION THAT IS VERY WIND SENSITIVE. MANY TREES HAVE BEEN WEAKENED WITH SOME PREVIOUS DEBRIS STILL IN PILES FROM THESE PREVIOUS HURRICANES. UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURES ARE NOT AS STURDY AS NORMAL. ALSO...ROOFING MATERIALS ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FAILURE. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT LOOSE OUTDOOR ITEMS...SUCH AS LEFT OVER DEBRIS...CAN BECOME AIRBORNE PROJECTILES. IF YOU LIVE IN A MOBILE HOME...OR A SEVERELY DAMAGED HOME...OR IN A PLACE THAT OFFERS LITTLE PROTECTION FROM DAMAGING HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...PLEASE CONSIDER MOVING TO A SAFE SHELTER. AGAIN...HEED THE WORDS OF YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... THE SURGE THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS EXTREME NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE LANDFALL LOCATION. RESIDENTS SHOULD INITIALLY EXPECT SURGES OF 6 TO 12 FEET...BUT A MORE DETAILED FORECAST OF SURGE POTENTIAL WILL BE MADE TODAY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT JEANNE COULD BE A MAJOR HURRICANE WITH SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE HEIGHTS. THE CONCERN IS COMPOUNDED SINCE THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE BEACHES AND DUNES DUE TO RECENT HURRICANE FRANCES...AND FROM THE LARGE OCEAN SWELLS WHICH HAVE CAUSED HIGH SURF AND BEACH EROSION. FINALLY...BATTERING WAVES WILL BE ON TOP OF THE SURGE. 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. ...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. FLOODING IS CERTAINLY EXPECTED IN LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE LOCATIONS AS 5 TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN ARE FORECAST ALONG THE TRACK OF JEANNE. IMPORTANTLY...SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IS POSSIBLE SINCE THE GROUND IS ALREADY SATURATED FROM ALL OF THE RECENT HEAVY RAIN... ESPECIALLY FROM FRANCES. THERE IS ALSO SOME REMAINING DEBRIS WHICH MAY INHIBIT OR CLOG NATURAL OR MAN MADE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS. ALSO...MOST STREAMS AND CANALS ARE ALREADY SWOLLEN WITH LITTLE ROOM FOR ADDITIONAL RAIN RUNOFF. THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER WHICH IS ALREADY IN FLOOD CAN EXPECT ADDITIONAL RISES. ...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. THE TORNADO POTENTIAL WILL BE MORE CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED FOR ATMOSPHERIC CLUES THAT ENHANCE LOCAL UPDRAFT STRENGTHS. REMEMBER...THE TORNADO THREAT IS OFTEN THE FIRST THREAT TO ARRIVE. PLEASE FACTOR THIS IN TO YOUR PREPARATION PLANS. ...MARINE IMPACTS... 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. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY NOON...OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. $$ DWS