courtesy
of National
Hurricane Center
HURRICANE
LOCAL STATEMENTS
Local
NWS forecast offices (WFOs) produce local statements
to keep the media, local decision makers, and the
public current on present and anticipated storm
effects in their area. The hurricane local statements
contain essential hurricane or tropical storm information
in a condensed form, but expand on the storm's potential
effects on the local area and on any actions declared
by local emergency managers.
Local
weather statements generally present the following:
- A
lead statement
- A
sentence detailing the counties, parishes, or
cities covered by the statement
- Watches
and/or warnings in effect and the counties or
parishes to which they apply
- Recommended
precautionary actions and the times they should
be completed
- Storm
surge and storm tide information, including the
times that various heights are expected, present
heights, and their locations
- Present
winds and the expected time of onset of tropical
storm or hurricane-force winds
- Tornado,
flood, flash flood, rip current, beach erosion,
and inland high wind potential
- The
time of the next statement
- Information
on the probability of hurricane or tropical storm
conditions may also be included. An example section
of a hurricane local statement is provided below.
ZCZC
MIAHLSMIA
TTAA00 KMIA 241937
FLZ063-066>078-242200-
HURRICANE
LOCAL STATEMENT...UPDATED TO ADD STORM SURGE INFORMATION
FOR KEYS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
335 PM EDT THU SEP 24 1998
...HURRICANE
WARNING FOR THE SOUTH FLORIDA INCLUDING THE KEYS...METRO
MIAMI-FT LAUDERDALE...AND NAPLES...
...FLOOD
WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH FLORIDA TONIGHT THROUGH
SATURDAY...
...HIGH
WIND WARNINGS IN EFFECT FOR INLAND SECTIONS OF THE
SOUTH FLORIDA LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT...
...MANDATORY
EVACUATION OF THE FLORIDA KEYS... THIS STATEMENT
RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS OF DADE...BROWARD...PALM
BEACH...COLLIER...MONROE...GLADES... AND HENDRY
COUNTIES OF SOUTH FLORIDA IN PREPARATION FOR HURRICANE
GEORGES.
A
HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MONROE...COLLIER...DADE...
AND BROWARD COUNTIES INCLUDING THE FLORIDA KEYS.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS...SUSTAINED
WINDS OF AT LEAST 74 MPH...ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR
WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS.
INLAND
HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE INLAND
SECTIONS OF BROWARD...DADE...AND COLLIER COUNTIES.
HIGH WIND WARNINGS MEAN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 MPH
OR GREATER ARE EXPECTED TO LAST ONE HOUR OR LONGER...OR
WINDS OF 58 MPH OR
GREATER ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR FOR ANY DURATION.
A
HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PALM BEACH COUNTY.
A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS
ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A
LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE
TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. A LAKE WIND ADVISORY MEANS SUSTAINED
WINDS OF 25 MPH OR MORE ARE EXPECTED ACROSS LAKE
OKEECHOBEE FOR ONE HOUR OR LONGER.
THE
OUTERMOST RAIN BANDS ASSOCIATED WITH GEORGES WILL
BE MOVING INTO THE KEYS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
ONTO THE
MAINLAND BY THIS EVENING. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS
WILL BE MOVING INTO THE KEYS TONIGHT AND SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA LATE TONIGHT. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE
LIKELY IN THE MIDDLE AND LOWER KEYS FRIDAY MORNING.
RESIDENTS
IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA SHOULD TAKE THE FOLLOWING
ACTIONS... FOLLOW ANY EVACUATION ORDERS. SECURE
OR MOVE INDOORS ALL LOOSE OBJECTS. SHUTTER OR BOARD
UP ALL WINDOWS. FILL UP ALL VEHICLE GAS TANKS. HAVE
AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS...
NON-PERISHABLE FOOD AND A MANUAL CAN OPENER...AND
BOTTLED WATER. FILL UP BATHTUBS WITH WATER FOR SANITARY
PURPOSES IN CASE WATER SERVICE IS INTERRUPTED. HAVE
BATTERY OPERATED FLASHLIGHTS AND RADIOS AVAILABLE
AS WELL AS A PLENTIFUL SUPPLY OF BATTERIES. BOAT
OWNERS ALONG THE COASTAL SECTIONS SHOULD RUSH TO
COMPLETION THE MOVING OF CRAFT TO SAFE HARBOR OR
SECURING THE CRAFT WITH SUFFICIENT STRONG LINE TO
ALLOW FOR THE MORE PRONOUNCED RISING AND FALLING
OF THE TIDES.
ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS EFFECTS OF GEORGES WILL
BE THE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. BECAUSE THE GROUND IS
ALREADY SATURATED FROM RECENT RAINS...ADDITIONAL
8 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN WILL POTENTIALLY CAUSE SERIOUS
FLOODING AND PERSONS SHOULD TAKE PROTECTIVE ACTION
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. PERSONS WITH IN-GROUND POOLS
SHOULD LOWER WATER LEVELS NO MORE THAN ABOUT ONE
FOOT TO AVOID LIFTING THE POOL OUT OF THE GROUND.
IN
ADDITION...THE FORECAST TRACK OF GEORGES PUTS MUCH
OF SOUTH FLORIDA IN THE PORTION OF THE STORM THAT
FREQUENTLY SPAWNS TORNADOES.
AT
2 PM EDT...HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR 21.1N
77.9W OR ABOUT 295 MILES SOUTHEAST OF KEY WEST...MIAMI
AND FORT LAUDERDALE AND 355 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NAPLES.
GEORGES IS MOVING BETWEEN WEST NORTHWEST AND NORTHWEST
NEAR 12 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
TODAY BRINGING THE CENTER INTO THE FLORIDA STRAITS
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS
ARE NEAR 80 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING
IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
AT
11 AM...THE PROBABILITY THAT GEORGES WILL PASS WITHIN
65 NAUTICAL MILES OF SOUTH FLORIDA LOCATIONS WITHIN
THE NEXT 72 HOURS IS AS FOLLOWS...
CITY
STRIKE PROBABILITY
MARATHON 44 PERCENT
KEY WEST 40 PERCENT
MIAMI 35 PERCENT
MARCO ISLAND 34 PERCENT
WEST PALM BEACH 25 PERCENT
...MONROE
COUNTY... HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT. THE CENTER
OF GEORGES IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE LOWER
AND MIDDLE
KEYS FRIDAY MORNING. THUS SOME OF THE WORST WEATHER
CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR OVER THE LOWER AND MIDDLE
KEYS LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. A STORM SURGE OF 3
TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS EXPECTED WITH
LARGE BATTERING WAVES. THIS COULD EASILY INUNDATE
LOW LYING AREAS MAKING MANY ROADS IMPASSABLE.
MONROE
COUNTY OFFICIALS HAVE ORDERED A MANDATORY EVACUATION
FOR ALL PERSONS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS. NO SHELTERS
WILL BE OPENED IN THE KEYS. EVACUEES SHOULD FOLLOW
SIGNS TO THE DESIGNATED SHELTER ON THE CAMPUS OF
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN WEST MIAMI.
ONLY AUTHORIZED VEHICLES WILL BE ALLOWED TO TRAVEL
SOUTHBOUND ON U.S. 1 INTO THE KEYS. MARATHON AND
KEY WEST AIRPORTS ARE CLOSED. ALL COUNTY AND STATE
PARKS IN THE KEYS ARE CLOSED. MARINE INTERESTS IN
THE KEYS SHOULD KNOW THAT BRIDGES AT SNAKE CREEK
AND JEWFISH CREEK ARE LOCKED DOWN.
IMPORTANT
TELEPHONE NUMBERS IN THE KEYS...
RUMOR
CONTROL...800-955-5504
TOURIST
REQUESTS...800-771-KEYS ...
THE
NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 6 PM.
LUSHINE
