Hurricane WarningHURRICANE IKE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
600 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008
...IKE GETS A LITTLE STRONGER...FORECAST TO BECOME A MAJOR
HURRICANE...
.AT 400 AM CDT...0900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IKE WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 26.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 91.6 WEST OR ABOUT
280 MILES...SOUTHEAST OF BEAUMONT TEXAS AND ABOUT 260 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHEAST OF LAKE CHARLES LOUISIANA.
IKE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 13 MPH...20 KM/HR.
A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY...WITH A TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH EXPECTED ON SATURDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...
THE CENTER OF IKE WILL BE VERY NEAR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST BY LATE
TODAY OR EARLY SATURDAY. HOWEVER...BECAUSE IKE IS A VERY LARGE
TROPICAL CYCLONE...WEATHER WILL DETERIORATE ALONG THE COASTLINE
TODAY...LONG BEFORE THE CENTER REACHES THE COAST.
REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT
INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR
105 MPH... 165 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IKE IS A CATEGORY TWO
HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL
STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND IKE IS
FORECAST TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE BEFORE THE CENTER REACHES
THE COAST.
THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY THE HURRICANE
HUNTERS IS 953 MB...28.14 INCHES.
COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF UP TO 20 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE
LEVELS...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE
EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER OF IKE MAKES
LANDFALL...EXTENDING A GREATER THAN USUAL DISTANCE FROM THE
CENTER DUE TO THE LARGE SIZE OF THE CYCLONE. SURGE FLOODING OF
UP TO 25 FEET...AND POSSIBLY HIGHER...COULD OCCUR AT THE HEADS OF
BAYS. COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 6 TO 8 FEET ABOVE NORMAL
TIDE LEVELS...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS WAVES...CAN BE
EXPECTED WITHIN THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA ALONG THE
NORTHERN GULF COAST. ABOVE NORMAL TIDES IN THE EASTERN GULF OF
MEXICO SHOULD GRADUALLY SUBSIDE OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO.
LAZ051-TXZ215-121700-
/O.CON.KLCH.HU.W.1009.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/
CAMERON-JEFFERSON-
600 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008
...HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT...
...NEW INFORMATION...
A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT.
...AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY PERSONS IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES AND PARISHES OR MARINE AREAS:
CAMERON...JEFFERSON.
...WATCHES/WARNINGS...
THE FOLLOWING WATCHES AND WARNINGS ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR
THIS AREA:
FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
HURRICANE WARNING.
...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
FOR CAMERON PARISH:
A MANDATORY EVACUATION HAS BEEN ORDERED.
FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY:
A MANDATORY EVACUATION HAS BEEN ORDERED.
...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE...
CAMERON:
STORM SURGE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE TODAY RAPIDLY INTO
TONIGHT...CRESTING BETWEEN 15 AND 20 FEET MEAN LOWER LOW WATER
EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. BATTERING WAVES ATOP THE HIGH WATER WILL
CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE. MOST OF CAMERON PARISH WILL BE INUNDATED.
THE STORM SURGE WILL BE SLOW TO RECEDE SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH
SUNDAY DUE TO THE PROLONGED ONSHORE FLOW. THESE WATER LEVELS WILL
BE COMPARABLE TO HURRICANE RITA. LA 82 AND LA 27 WILL BE UNDER
WATER. AS MUCH AS EIGHT TO TEN FEET OF WATER WILL COVER THE
STREETS IN DOWNTOWN CAMERON.
LOW LYING AREAS OF GRAND LAKE AND HACKBERRY WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE
FLOODING. SOME ROADS COULD SEE 6 TO 7 FEET OF WATER OVER THEM.
JEFFERSON:
STORM SURGE WILL INCREASE VERY RAPIDLY BY NOON TODAY... CRESTING
TO AROUND 20 TO 25 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL. BATTERING WAVES ATOP THE
HIGH WATER WILL CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE.
THE STORM SURGE WILL BE SLOW TO RECEDE THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING
DUE TO THE PROLONGED ONSHORE FLOW.
AT THESE WATER LEVELS...THE SEAWALL IN PORT ARTHUR WILL BE
OVERTOPPED...BY ABOUT 6 FEET...CAUSING EXTENSIVE FLOODING OF THE
CITY OF PORT ARTHUR.
MOST LOCATIONS SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 73 BETWEEN PORT ARTHUR AND WINNIE
WILL HAVE STORM SURGE FLOODING. FLOODING WILL OCCUR ALONG
HILLEBRANDT AND TAYLOR BAYOUS BETWEEN FANNETT AND LA BELLE.
ALL ROADS IN SABINE PASS WILL BE FLOODED. HIGHWAY 73/87 BETWEEN
PORT ARTHUR AND BRIDGE CITY WILL BE FLOODED AS WELL.
LIFE THREATENING FLOOD INUNDATION IS LIKELY! ALL NEIGHBORHOODS...
AND POSSIBLY ENTIRE COASTAL COMMUNITIES... WILL BE INUNDATED
DURING THE PERIOD OF PEAK STORM TIDE. PERSONS NOT HEEDING
EVACUATION ORDERS IN SINGLE FAMILY ONE OR TWO STORY HOMES MAY FACE
CERTAIN DEATH. MANY RESIDENCES OF AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION DIRECTLY ON
THE COAST WILL BE DESTROYED. WIDESPREAD AND DEVASTATING PERSONAL
PROPERTY DAMAGE IS LIKELY ELSEWHERE. VEHICLES LEFT BEHIND WILL
LIKELY BE SWEPT AWAY. NUMEROUS ROADS WILL BE SWAMPED...SOME MAY BE
WASHED AWAY BY THE WATER. ENTIRE FLOOD PRONE COASTAL COMMUNITIES
WILL BE CUTOFF. WATER LEVELS MAY EXCEED 9 FEET FOR MORE THAN A
MILE INLAND. COASTAL RESIDENTS IN MULTI-STORY FACILITIES RISK
BEING CUTOFF. CONDITIONS WILL BE WORSENED BY BATTERING WAVES
CLOSER TO THE COAST. SUCH WAVES WILL EXACERBATE PROPERTY
DAMAGE...WITH MASSIVE DESTRUCTION OF HOMES...INCLUDING THOSE OF
BLOCK CONSTRUCTION. DAMAGE FROM BEACH EROSION COULD TAKE YEARS TO
REPAIR.
...WINDS...
CAMERON:
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AROUND 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH
WILL BEGIN THIS MORNING...INCREASING THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AROUND 75 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 95 MPH WILL
BEGIN BY THIS EVENING...AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE EARLY SATURDAY
MORNING...BEFORE DECREASING TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE BY NOON.
JEFFERSON:
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AROUND 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65
MPH ARE EXPECTED TODAY...INCREASING THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AROUND 80 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 100 MPH ARE
EXPECTED BY THIS EVENING...CONTINUING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT...
BEFORE DECREASING TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE ON SATURDAY.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY
SATURDAY.
...PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE/TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...
THE PROBABILITY OF HURRICANE FORCE WINDS RANGES FROM 35 TO 45
PERCENT.
THE PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS RANGES FROM 90 TO
100 PERCENT.
...INLAND FLOODING...
AREAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM 5 TO 10 INCHES WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS
TO 15 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. AS IS THE CASE DURING ANY TROPICAL
SYSTEM...ANY AREA THAT RECEIVES HEAVY RAINS WILL SEE FLASH
FLOODING.
SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IS EXPECTED ALONG THE LOWER NECHES RIVER UP
THROUGH BEAUMONT DUE TO THE STORM SURGE.
...TORNADOES...
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY INTO SATURDAY.
...NEXT UPDATE...
THIS STATEMENT WILL BE UPDATED AROUND 8 AM THIS MORNING.
$$
Oh my.
