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.

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