Latest Katrina Forecast

[LiberalArkie]

HURRICANE KATRINA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
200 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...DIRECT STRIKE OF POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC AND LIFE THREATENING
HURRICANE EXPECTED...

...RUSH PROTECTIVE MEASURES TO COMPLETION AND LEAVE THE WARNING AREA
NOW!...

...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND COASTAL
MISSISSIPPI FROM MORGAN CITY EAST TO THE ALABAMA FLORIDA BORDER....

...DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA MOVING WEST NORTHWEST IN THE GULF OF
MEXICO...

...AREAS AFFECTED...
IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...THE FOLLOWING PARISHES

ASSUMPTION...ST JAMES...ST JOHN THE BAPTIST...ST CHARLES...
ST BERNARD...TERREBONNE...ORLEANS...JEFFERSON...PLAQUEMINE...
LAFOURCHE...ST TAMMANY...TANGIPAHOA...LIVINGSTON.

IN COASTAL MISSISSIPPI...THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
HANCOCK...HARRISON...JACKSON

...WATCHES AND WARNINGS...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF MORGAN CITY EAST TO THE
ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER AREA. THIS INCLUDES THE METRO NEW ORLEANS
AREA...AND THE MISSISSIPPI COAST.

...STORM INFORMATION...
AT 100 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 26.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 88.6 WEST OR ABOUT 225 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 175 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
HURRICANE KATRINA IS A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR
SIMPSON SCALE. SOME MINOR FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH IS POSSIBLE
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HOWEVER...KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO
MAKE LANDFALL AT A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE PACKING SUSTAINED
160 MPH WINDS. HURRICANE KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST
NEAR 12 MPH AND A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED
LATER TODAY.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
PROTECT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. FOLLOW LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGERS
RECOMMENDATIONS AND LEAVE HURRICANE WARNING AREA NOW BEFORE WEATHER
CONDITIONS WORSEN. RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND COASTAL
MISSISSIPPI SHOULD RUSH PREPARATIONS FOR THE LANDFALL OF A
CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY...WITH DAMAGING
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND HIGH STORM SURGE.

MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERS ARE IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA PARISHES AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI COUNTIES. RESIDENTS SHOULD
FOLLOW EVACUATION RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCAL OFFICIALS.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF OF
MEXICO COAST AS A CATASTROPHIC LIFE THREATENING HURRICANE. WHILE
EXACT LOCATION LANDFALL IS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME...SIGNIFICANT AND
LIFE THREATENING STORM SURGE 18 TO 22 FEET ABOVE NORMAL IS POSSIBLE
NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE LANDFALL AREA. A FEW AREAS MAY
EXPERIENCE STORM SURGE FLOODING AS HIGH AS 25 FEET ALONG WITH LARGE
AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE
CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. RESIDENTS IN AREAS PRONE TO STORM SURGE
FLOODING SHOULD LEAVE NOW! HEED EVACUATION RECOMMENDATION FROM LOCAL
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS. SECONDARY ROADS OUTSIDE LEVEE
PROTECTION WILL LIKELY BECOME IMPASSABLE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

...WIND IMPACTS...
EAST TO NORTHEAST WIND OF 20 TO 30 MPH SHOULD CONTINUE OVER
THE REGION...THEN INCREASE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING
TONIGHT. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE LIKELY TO OVERSPREAD THE
COASTAL AREAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA THIS
EVENING. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE LIKELY TO BEGIN BY MIDNIGHT AND
MOVE INLAND MONDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON.

KATRINA IS FORECAST TO MOVE ASHORE AS CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE...
SIMILAR IN STRENGTH TO HURRICANE CAMILLE IN 1969. WINDS ASSOCIATED
CATEGORY 4 AND CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE CAN TOTALLY DESTROY MOBILE
HOMES...AND WEAKEN CAUSE MAJOR DAMAGE TO EVEN WELL CONSTRUCTED
BUILDINGS. HIGHER WIND SPEEDS ARE LIKELY TO BE EXPERIENCED ON UPPER
FLOORS OF TALL BUILDINGS CAUSING DAMAGE.

...TORNADOES...
THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES WILL DEVELOP OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING.

...RAINFALL...
RAINFALL TOTALS OF 8 TO 10 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF
15 INCHES...ARE POSSIBLE NORTH AND SOUTH OF LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
AND THE MISSISSIPPI COAST.

...NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 530 PM CDT.

$$