000 WTUS84 KBMX 101724 HLSBMX ALZ011>015-017>050-102100- HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1224 PM CDT SUN JUL 10 2005 ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DENNIS MOVING A LITTLE FASTER TOWARD THE COASTLINE... ...INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST HALF OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH NOON CDT MONDAY... ...INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST HALF OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH NOON CDT MONDAY... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH NOON CDT MONDAY... ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PIKE AND BARBOUR COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST ALABAMA THROUGH 2 PM CDT... ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT PERTAINS TO ALL CENTRAL ALABAMA COUNTIES SERVICED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. ...WATCHES/WARNINGS... INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST HALF OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH NOON CDT MONDAY. INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST HALF OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH NOON CDT MONDAY. FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH NOON CDT MONDAY. TORNADO WATCH FOR PIKE AND BARBOUR COUNTIES THROUGH 2 PM CDT. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT NOON CDT...1700Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 86.9 WEST OR ABOUT 55 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF PENSACOLA FLORIDA. DENNIS IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL NEAR PENSACOLA BY MID-AFTERNOON. DENNIS CONTINUES TO SLOWLY WEAKEN...AND MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NOW NEAR 135 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED IN THE REMAINING HOURS BEFORE LANDFALL...AND DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST NEAR THE CATEGORY THREE/FOUR THRESHOLD ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS 939 MB...27.73 INCHES. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... SECURE ALL LOOSE OBJECTS...SUCH AS PATIO FURNITURE AND TRASH CANS...OR MOVE THEM INDOORS. BRING YOUR PETS INDOORS. FLOODING... ESPECIALLY FLASH FLOODING...WILL BE A PROBLEM DUE TO THE VERY HEAVY RAIN BANDS ASSOCIATED WITH DENNIS. FLOODING CAN BE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT...WHERE WATER CAN QUICKLY FLOOD ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS. IN ADDITION...VISIBILITIES ARE LIMITED IN THE DARK. DO NOT TRY TO CROSS FLOODED ROADWAYS...TURN AROUND...DON'T DROWN. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ARE ANTICIPATED WITH THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF DENNIS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST COUNTIES OF SUMTER...GREENE...HALE...PERRY...AND MARENGO. IF THE POWER OUTAGES LAST FOR ANY DURATION AND A GENERATOR IS NECESSARY...PLEASE REMEMBER THAT GENERATOR USE INDOORS CAN BE DEADLY DUE TO THE CARBON MONOXIDE GAS PRODUCED. GENERATORS SHOULD NOT BE USED INDOORS...BUT IF NO ALTERNATIVE EXISTS...USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OPERATING GENERATORS INDOORS AND PROVIDE ADEQUATE VENTILATION FOR THE MACHINE. ...WIND IMPACTS... THE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. INLAND HURRICANE WARNING...FOR FAR SOUTHWEST AREAS INCLUDING SUMTER...GREENE...AND MARENGO COUNTIES...WIND GUSTS OF UP TO 100 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE NEAR THE CENTER OF CIRCULATION. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL START LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL LAST INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE DURATION OF THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE 8 TO 10 HOURS. WIND GUSTS TO 60 MILES AN HOUR MAY BE EXPERIENCED THROUGH MID AFTERNOON ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTER RAIN BANDS. THESE WINDS WILL PRODUCE NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES AND PRODUCE SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. INLAND HURRICANE WARNING...FOR LOCATIONS SOUTHWEST OF A LINE FROM HAMILTON...TO CLANTON...TO MONTGOMERY...TO TROY...WIND GUSTS TO 80 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE MAINLY IN THE OUTER RAIN BANDS. THE OUTER RAIN BANDS WILL AFFECT THE AREA FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. SOME POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY WITH TREE AND POWER LINE DAMAGE. INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING...FOR LOCATIONS NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM HAMILTON...TO CLANTON...TO MONTGOMERY...TO TROY...WIND GUSTS TO 60 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE MAINLY IN THE OUTER RAIN BANDS. THE OUTER RAIN BANDS WILL AFFECT THE AREA FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY. ...FLOOD IMPACTS... BASED ON THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK OF HURRICANE DENNIS...5 TO 8 INCHES OF RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THIS RAIN IS IN ADDITION TO WHAT HAS ALREADY FALLEN ACROSS THE AREA. THE HEAVIEST RAIN IS ANTICIPATED THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MIDDAY MONDAY. RAINFALL ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA DURING THE PAST FEW WEEKS HAS LED TO SATURATED GROUND CONDITIONS...AND ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL RESULT IN RAPID RUNOFF AND FLASH FLOODING. WITH ABOVE NORMAL RIVER FLOW IN MANY LOCATIONS...HEAVY RAINFALL IN ASSOCIATION WITH HURRICANE DENNIS WILL AGGRAVATE RIVER CONDITIONS. RIVER FLOODING COULD BECOME A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM BY MONDAY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA AND WILL LAST FOR SEVERAL DAYS. BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION WHEN AND IF THE WATERS BEGIN RISING. ...TORNADO THREAT... THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL INCREASE ACROSS SOUTH ALABAMA THIS MORNING...AND THE THREAT WILL SPREAD TO CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS TORNADO THREAT WILL GENERALLY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTER RAIN BANDS OF HURRICANE DENNIS. THE TORNADO THREAT WILL EXIST THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON. IF THESE TORNADOES DUE DEVELOP...THEY WILL LIKELY BE RAIN WRAPPED. TORNADO WATCHES ARE ANTICIPATED FOR A LARGE PART OF THE AREA THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. ...ADDITIONAL INFORMATION... THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAS SET UP A HOT LINE FOR ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION IN SOUTH ALABAMA. THE ACCESS NUMBER IS 1-888-588-2848. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM WILL NOT ISSUE ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS DURING THIS TROPICAL SYSTEM. THE WIND WARNINGS IN PLACE NOW WILL COVER THE THREAT OF HIGH WINDS...OR WILL BE ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY. IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS BANDING FEATURES...SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED. IF ROTATION IS OBSERVED...TORNADO WARNINGS WILL CONTINUE TO BE ISSUED. IF FLASH FLOODING IS IMMINENT...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL BE ISSUED. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT SCHEDULED HURRICANE DENNIS LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 2 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON. && $$ LINHARES