HLSTAE This product covers eastern Florida panhandle, Florida Big Bend, southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia **PERIPHERAL WIND AND RAIN IMPACTS ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA BIG BEND FROM MAJOR HURRICANE MILTON CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING** NEW INFORMATION --------------- * CHANGES TO WATCHES AND WARNINGS: - None * CURRENT WATCHES AND WARNINGS: - A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Coastal Dixie, Coastal Franklin, Coastal Jefferson, Coastal Taylor, Coastal Wakulla, Inland Dixie, Inland Taylor, and Lafayette * STORM INFORMATION: - About 280 miles southeast of Panama City or about 240 miles southeast of Tallahassee - 27.6N 82.0W - Storm Intensity 105 mph - Movement East-northeast or 60 degrees at 16 mph SITUATION OVERVIEW ------------------ . PERIPHERAL WIND AND RAIN IMPACTS ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA BIG BEND FROM MAJOR HURRICANE MILTON CONTINUING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. At 11 PM EDT, Hurricane Milton is now a Category 2 hurricane following landfall at Siesta Key and is moving east northeast at 15mph. Milton should continue to weaken as it treks across the central Florida Peninsula while maintaining hurricane status before it exits off the east coast of the Florida Peninsula. Overall, little change has been made to the track compared to the previous advisory, so the thinking on local wind and rain peripheral impacts is largely intact. Milton remains a very large system with strong winds on the north side of the system. Tropical storm conditions are still likely across the Apalachee Bay coastline and the far southeastern Florida Big Bend. Elsewhere, a Wind Advisory remains in effect for the rest of the Florida Big Bend, portions of the Florida Panhandle, and south- central Georgia. Important Note: these gusty winds could hamper recovery efforts from Helene and cause additional damage to weakened trees or structures. Additional rainfall amounts of a half inch to an inch are expected across the southeast FL Big Bend with locally higher amounts possible. Tornadoes and significant storm surge are not expected to impact the area. Offshore flow from Milton will generally keep water levels at or below normal for our coastline, keeping surge concerns at a minimum. Dangerous marine conditions will continue with building waves and strong winds persisting into Thursday afternoon or evening. This will result in high surf at all area beaches through Thursday along with deadly rip currents along all area beaches for the rest of the week. POTENTIAL IMPACTS ----------------- * WIND: Protect against hazardous wind having possible limited impacts across southeast and coastal Florida Big Bend. Potential impacts in this area include: - Some damage to porches, awnings, carports, sheds, and unanchored mobile homes. Unsecured lightweight objects blown about. - Many large tree limbs broken off. A few trees snapped or uprooted, but with greater numbers in places where trees are shallow rooted. Some fences and roadway signs blown over. - A few roads impassable from debris, particularly within urban or heavily wooded places. Hazardous driving conditions on bridges and other elevated roadways. - Scattered power and communications outages. Also, protect against hazardous wind having possible limited impacts across the coast of the Apalachee Bay extending westwards towards the Indian Pass. * FLOODING RAIN: Protect against locally hazardous rainfall flooding having possible limited impacts across the extreme southeast Florida Big Bend. Potential impacts include: - Rivers and tributaries may quickly rise with swifter currents. Small streams, creeks, and ditches may become swollen and overflow in spots. - A few places where rapid ponding of water occurs at underpasses, low-lying spots, and poor drainage areas. Several storm drains and retention ponds become near-full and begin to overflow. Some brief road and bridge closures. Elsewhere across eastern Florida panhandle, Florida Big Bend, southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia, little to no impact is anticipated. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS ---------------------------------- * OTHER PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION: Listen for updates and be ready in case you lose electrical power. Keep a battery-powered radio, charged cell phone and flashlight handy. During the peak of the storm be ready to move quickly. Keep your shoes on and rain gear handy. Boots and athletic shoes offer the best foot protection if you become unexpectedly exposed to the weather. Keep your cell phone charged and in power-saving mode. If you lose power, use it sparingly and mainly for personal emergencies and check-ins. * ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION: - For information on appropriate preparations see ready.gov - For additional disaster preparedness information see redcross.org NEXT UPDATE ----------- The next local statement will be issued by the National Weather Service in Tallahassee FL around 530 AM ET, or sooner if conditions warrant.
