It might get crazy around here tonight.

NH_/)_


HURRICANE HENRI LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
607 PM EDT FRI SEP 5 2003


.....RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED HIGHER
AMOUNTS...CAN BE EXPECTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH HENRI...

.....WATCH/WARNING INFORMATION...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

CITRUS HERNANDO
LEVY PASCO
PINELLAS HILLSBOROUGH
MANATEE SARASOTA

THIS INCLUDES THE COASTAL WATERS FROM ENGLEWOOD TO THE MOUTH OF
THE SUWANNEE RIVER.

.....STORM LOCATION...
AT 5 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM HENRI WAS LOCATED ABOUT 90
STATUTE MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF TAMPA WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 50
MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THE CENTER OF HENRI HAS BEEN MEANDERING DURING THE
PAST FEW HOURS...BUT THE OVERALL MOTION IS TOWARD THE EAST-NORTHEAST NEAR 5
MPH WITH A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

.....CURRENT RADAR INFORMATION...
BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE COAST
BETWEEN SARASOTA AND FORT MYERS AND INLAND DURING THE EARLY EVENING WITH
GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN. WATERSPOUTS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. OTHER BANDS OF
RAIN AND SHOWERS WILL MOVE INLAND ALONG THE COAST FROM AROUND TAMPA BAY
NORTH TO CEDAR KEY.

.....TORNADO INFORMATION...
ISOLATED WATERSPOUTS AND TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT AS
TROPICAL STORM HENRI NEARS THE COAST AND THE WIND SHEAR INCREASES.

.....RAINFALL INFORMATION...
RADAR DETECTED RAINFALL OF 3 TO 4 INCHES...BUT WITH POCKETS OF 4 TO 6
INCHES...ALONG THE COAST FROM PUNTA GORDA TO JUST NORTH OF VENICE AND ALSO
AROUND THE SOUTH END OF TAMPA BAY. OTHER AREAS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE WEST
OF HERNANDO AND CITRUS COUNTIES.ELSEWHERE...MOST LOCATIONS IN SOUTHWEST AND
WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA HAVE GOTTEN ABOUT 0NE HALF TO ONE AND ONE HALF INCHES
OF RAIN IN THE PAST 3 HOURS.

.....RIVER FLOODING...
THE EXPECTED HEAVY RAIN WILL PUSH ADDITIONAL RIVERS INTO FLOOD ON SATURDAY
AND SUNDAY. RESIDENTS ALONG AREA RIVERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR FLOODING OVER
THE WEEKEND. FURTHER RIVER INFORMATION AND FORECASTS CAN BE FOUND ON THE
INTERNET AT OUR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (CLICK ON THE
HYDROLOGY LINK).

.....WIND...
BUOY 42036...WHICH IS ABOUT 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE CENTER OF THE TROPICAL
STORM...REPORTED NORTH-NORTHEAST WINDS OF 26 MPH GUSTING
TO 31 MPH WITH SEAS OF 7 FEET AT 5 PM. WINDS OVER THE GULF AWAY FROM THE
CENTER OF HENRI WILL RANGE UP TO 40 MPH NEAR THE STRONGER SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS. WINDS ALONG THE COAST AND ACROSS THE BAYS ARE EXPECTED TO
BE 25 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS THIS EVENING. FURTHER INLAND THE WINDS WILL BE
15 TO 25 MPH.

.....SURGE INFORMATION...
CURRENT GULF OF MEXICO TIDES REMAIN ABOUT A FOOT ABOVE NORMAL. AS TROPICAL
STORM HENRI CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARD THE COAST...WATER
LEVELS WILL GRADUALLY RISE FOR THE REST OF THIS EVENING. A STORM SURGE OF 3
TO 5 FEET IS EXPECTED TO THE SOUTH OF THE CENTER AROUND
THE TIME OF LANDFALL TONIGHT. THIS WILL PRODUCE MINOR FLOODING ALONG
PORTIONS OF THE COAST...INCLUDING AROUND TAMPA BAY. INCREASING WINDS
WILL CAUSE SEA SPAY TO WASH OVER SEA WALLS AND CAUSEWAYS.

.....MARINE AND RIP CURRENT INFORMATION...
SEAS CONTINUE TO INCREASE THIS EVENING AS THE TROPICAL STORM APPROACHES THE
COAST. SEAS IN THE WARNING AREA ARE EXPECTED TO EXCEED 8 FEET BY TONIGHT.
MINOR BEACH EROSION IS EXPECTED. IN ADDITION...THE INCREASED SEAS WILL
INCREASE THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS.

.....NEXT ISSUANCE...
THE NEXT TROPICAL STORM HENRI LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN RUSKIN 9 PM EDT. FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ON HENRI...SEE THE LATEST ADVISORIES FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEBSITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (LOWER CASE).

RKR

AFFECTED COUNTIES:
IN FLORIDA: CHARLOTTE, CITRUS, DESOTO, HARDEE, HERNANDO, HIGHLANDS,
HILLSBOROUGH, LEE, LEVY, MANATEE, PASCO, PINELLAS, POLK, SARASOTA, SUMTER.