5:00PM HLS FROM BALTIMORE/DC

[Josephine96]

HURRICANE STATEMENT
DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-037>042-
050>057-WVZ048>055-170600-

HURRICANE ISABEL LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
500 PM EDT TUE SEP 16 2003

...A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LOCATIONS ALONG THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY SOUTH OF NORTH BEACH. THIS INCLUDES CALVERT AND ST
MARYS COUNTIES IN MARYLAND...

...A HURRICANE WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR LOCATIONS AND COUNTIES
ADJACENT TO THE TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER TO WASHINGTON DC THIS INCLUDES
CHARLES AND PRINCE GEORGES COUNTIES IN MARYLAND...THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA...AND ARLINGTON...FAIRFAX...PRINCE WILLIAM...STAFFORD...AND
KING GEORGE COUNTIES AND INCLUDING THE INDEPENDENT CITIES OF
ALEXANDRIA...FALLS CHURCH...FAIRFAX CITY...MANASSAS...AND MANASSAS
PARK...

...A TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR LOCATIONS ALONG THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY NORTH OF NORTH BEACH...INCLUDING ANNE ARUNDEL...
BALTIMORE AND HARFORD COUNTIES INCLUDING BALTIMORE CITY...

AT 5 PM EDT HURRICANE ISABEL WAS LOCATED NEAR 27.8 NORTH LATITUDE
AND 71.4 WEST LONGITUDE OR ABOUT 570 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF CAPE
HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA...MOVING NORTH NORTHWEST AT 8 MPH. ESTIMATED
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 959 MB WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF
105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THIS MAKES ISABEL A CATEGORY TWO
HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR SIMPSON SCALE.

...PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PERSONS LOCATED IN AND NEAR THE POSTED HURRICANE AND TROPICAL WATCH
AREAS SHOULD PREPARE NOW FOR HIGH WINDS AND SIGNIFICANT COASTAL
FLOODING. PEOPLE INLAND SHOULD PREPARE FOR STRONG WINDS...HEAVY
RAIN...AND SMALL STREAM AND RIVER FLOODING.

...RAINFALL AND INLAND FLOODING...
RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE
EXPECTED IN THE BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON AREAS...OVER THE CHESAPEAKE
BAY AND ACROSS MARYLAND EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. FOR THE PIEDMONT AND
MOUNTAIN AREAS OF MARYLAND...VIRGINIA AND WEST VIRGINIA...RAINFALL
TOTALS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 12
INCHES OR MORE. THIS WOULD CAUSE SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY
FLASH FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES. THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL FOR MAJOR
FLOODING OF SOME MAINSTEM RIVERS.

...STORM SURGE...WAVES AND TIDAL FLOODING...
THE THREAT OF STORM SURGE WILL BE ON THE INCREASE LATE THURSDAY
NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY. ALONG THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE CHESAPEAKE
BAY TIDAL SURGES OF 3 TO 5 FEET ARE POSSIBLE. THIS SURGE WOULD BE ON
TOP OF THE NORMAL TIDE AND THEN WAVES OF 4 TO 7 FEET MAY OCCUR ON
TOP OF THAT. ALONG THE NORTH SHORE OF THE TIDAL POTOMAC IN CHARLES
AND ST MARYS COUNTIES A STORM SURGE OF 4 TO 6 FEET IS POSSIBLE. THE
REMAINDER OF THE TIDAL POTOMAC COULD SEE SURGES OF 3 TO 5 FEET.

...HIGH TIDES...
WASHINGTON DC 2:33 PM THU 2:42 AM FRI 3:23 PM FRI
BALTIMORE HARBOR 12:14 PM THU 2:07 AM FRI 1:18 PM FRI
THOMAS POINT LIGHT 12:05 AM FRI 11:15 AM FRI

...WIND AND TORNADO INFORMATION...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OF 40 TO 60 MPH WILL BEGIN AFFECTING
SOUTHERN MARYLAND MIDDAY THURSDAY AND WILL SPREAD INLAND THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STRONGER WIND GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE WILL
BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING OVER SOUTHERN
MARYLAND...THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND PORTIONS OF NORTHERN
VIRGINIA AS THE CENTER OF THE STORM PASSES. THESE WINDS MAY CAUSE
DAMAGE TO TREES AND UTILITY LINES.

ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE AS THE OUTER BANDS OF SQUALLS REACH
THE AREA THURSDAY EVENING AND EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ADVISES RESIDENTS IN THE AFFECTED AREA
TO CONTINUE MONITORING NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND THE MEDIA FOR UPDATES
ON HURRICANE ISABEL. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON
OUR WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/LWX

THE NEXT SCHEDULED STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AT MIDNIGHT EDT...UNLESS
CONDITIONS WARRANT EARLIER RELEASES.

$$
MANNING/LULOFS