000 WTUS82 KMLB 260120 HLSMLB AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 260330- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 920 PM EDT SAT SEP 25 2004 ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE JEANNE EYEWALL MAKING LANDFALL... ...A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM FLORIDA CITY 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... ...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 IS IN EFFECT FROM FLORIDA CITY 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 TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL MIDNIGHT. A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR INDIAN RIVER...MARTIN AND ST. LUCIE COUNTIES UNTIL 1 AM. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES IN ANTICIPATION OF HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE JEANNE. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 9 PM EDT THE EYE OF HURRICANE JEANNE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.5 WEST OR ABOUT 75 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VERO BEACH FLORIDA...AND ABOUT 55 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF FORT PIERCE FLORIDA. JEANNE IS MOVING BETWEEN THE WEST AND WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 13 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... AS THE EYEWALL MAKES LAND FALL RESIDENTS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM WITH NO WINDOWS SUCH AS A BATHROOM OR CLOSET IN A WELL CONSTRUCTED HOUSE OUTSIDE OF EVACUATION ZONES. PREPARE FOR THE EYEWALL AND INNER RAINBANDS AS YOU WOULD FOR A TORNADO. YOU MAY WELL LOSE POWER PRIOR TO THE APPROACH OF THE PEAK OF THE STORM SO HAVE A BATTERY OPERATED NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND AM AND FM RADIO WITH YOU TO RECEIVE CRITICAL SEVERE WEATHER UPDATES DURING THE PASSAGE OF JEANNE. HAVE MATTRESSES AND PILLOWS FOR COMFORT AND PROTECTION. ...WIND IMPACTS... MELBOURNE RADAR INDICATED THE CIRCULATION CENTER OF STRONG HURRICANE JEANNE WAS MOVING ON SHORE IN MARTIN AND ST. LUCIE COUNTIES. THE MOST INTENSE RAINBAND OF THE DANGEROUS HURRICANE... CONTAINING WIND GUSTS OF 100 TO 120 MPH WILL SPIRAL ONSHORE AND POUND THE COASTLINE SOUTH OF VERO BEACH FROM 9 TO 11 PM. ISOLATED TORNADOES MAY ALSO BE CONTAINED WITHIN THIS WIND BAND...LOCALLY ENHANCING DAMAGE POTENTIAL. THIS BAND WILL AFFECT INDIAN RIVER AND SOUTHERN BREVARD COUNTIES LATER TONIGHT. ***EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE WINDS...CAPABLE TO DESTROYING WEAK STRUCTURES AND MOBILE HOMES...AND DAMAGING EVEN WELL BUILT STRUCTURES WILL AFFECT THE COASTAL AREAS SOUTH OF VERO BEACH OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. TREES WILL BE UPROOTED AND LARGE DEBRIS WILL BECOME AIRBORNE. IT IS TIME TO MOVE QUICKLY TO THE SAFEST INTERIOR LOCATION WITHIN YOUR SHELTER AND PLAN TO REMAIN IN PLACE FOR SEVERAL HOURS. PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BREAKING GLASS AND POSSIBLE STRUCTURAL COLLAPSES WITH MATTRESSES.*** ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL ALONG THE FLORIDA EAST COAST. HIGH TIDES ARE RUNNING ABOVE NORMAL AND OCCUR AROUND 6 AM SUNDAY. A STORM SURGE OF UP TO 7 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 IS EXTREME. AS A RESULT... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES. 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. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 11 PM ...OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. $$ DECKER