HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
1055 PM EDT FRI SEP 24 2004

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST STARTING EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON OVER MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES...AND THEN SPREAD NORTH ALONG THE COAST AND WEST INTO THE INTERIOR.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REACH THE COAST OVER MARTIN AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES IN THE EVENING SATURDAY.

...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS...
THE SURGE THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS EXTREME NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE LANDFALL LOCATION. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ROUGH POUNDING SURF...RIP CURRENTS AND BEACH EROSION ARE ALREADY OCCURRING DUE TO STRONG HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH OF JEANNE.

RESIDENTS SHOULD ANTICIPATE A STORM SURGE OF 6 TO 8 FEET DEPENDING ON THE LOCAL TIDE DURING LANDFALL. THE GREATEST SURGE WILL OCCUR AROUND 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING WHEN LOCAL ASTRONOMICAL TIDES WILL BE RUNNING NEAR 4 FEET. THIS PLUS THE STORM SURGE COULD PRODUCE A BEACH FRONT SURGE NEAR 10 FEET. THE STORM SURGE EFFECTS WILL BE COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT THE DUNES ARE IN A HIGHLY WEAKENED STATE.
MANY BEACHFRONT PROPERTIES HAVE ALREADY SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND EROSION...MAKING THEM VERY VULNERABLE TO FURTHER DAMAGE.
INUNDATION OF THE IMMEDIATE COASTAL ZONE BY SEA WATER IS POSSIBLE WITH SURGE AND WAVES BREACHING THE WEAKENED DUNES. NEAR SHORE ROADWAYS AND STRUCTURES ARE AT RISK. PROPERTIES AROUND INLETS AND ADJACENT CANALS WILL ALSO BE VULNERABLE TO INUNDATION AS WATER BACKS UP...ESPECIALLY AROUND THE TIMES OF HIGH TIDES.