PLEASE SEE THE BHMNPWMOB PRODUCT. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. FOR THE LATEST PLEASE SEE SEE THE PRODUCT BHMFFAMOB. A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MOST OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA UNTIL 200 PM. A NEW TORNADO WATCH WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED BY 2 PM CDT. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 1 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 86.9 WEST...OR ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF PENSACOLA FLORIDA. DENNIS IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 15 MPH. ON THIS TRACK...DENNIS SHOULD MAKE LANDFALL SOMEWHERE IN THE VICINITY OF ESCAMBIA BAY THIS AFTERNOON. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NOW NEAR 140 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST NEAR THE CATEGORY THREE/FOUR THRESHOLD ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... AT THIS TIME...ALL PRECAUTIONARY AND PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. IF YOU DID NOT EVACUATE...SEEK SHELTER IN THE STURDIEST INTERIOR STRUCTURE YOU CAN FIND. SHELTERS ARE OPEN IN MANY AREAS...PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL EMA OFFICE...WATCH LOCAL TV OR LISTEN TO RADIO FOR LOCATIONS OF THESE SHELTERS. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDES WILL STILL OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE REGION THROUGH 2 PM CDT. STORM SURGE VALUES BETWEEN 10 AND 14 FEET ARE EXPECTED AROUND AND ESPECIALLY TO THE EAST OF DENNIS'S CENTER. THE GREATEST STORM SURGE HAZARD OVER ESCAMBIA BAY FLORIDA... ESPECIALLY EAST BAY. RAPID RISES IN WATER LEVELS ARE IN STORE THROUGH 5 PM CDT AS DENNIS APPROACHES. BE PREPARED! ...WIND IMPACTS... HURRICANE FORCE WINDS...75 MPH OR GREATER...WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE AREA BY NOON AND WILL PERSIST THROUGH THIS EVENING. DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO POSSIBLY BE A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE AT LANDFALL. THIS WOULD RESULT IN EXTREME DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL BE IN PROGRESS ALONG THE COAST BY 230 PM CDT. THESE WILL SPREAD INLAND BY 6 PM CDT. SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL OCCUR AROUND AND ESPECIALLY EAST OF DENNIS' CENTER. AFTER LANDFALL ...THE CENTER OF DENNIS IS CURRENTLY FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS BALDWIN...CLARKE...CHOCTAW....ESCAMBIA AND MONROE COUNTIES OF ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. COUNTIES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SHOULD REMAIN ABREAST OF THE LATEST TRACK FORECAST AS UPDATES OCCUR. EXTENSIVE TO EXTREME TORNADO-LIKE WIND DAMAGE IS POSSIBLE AROUND...AND ESPECIALLY JUST TO THE IMMEDIATE EAST OF DENNIS' EYE AS IT MOVES INLAND. ...RIP CURRENTS AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS... STAY OUT OF THE WATER. HURRICANE CONDITIONS WILL PRECLUDE RECREATIONAL BEACH ACTIVITY THROUGH MONDAY. DO NOT GO BACK INTO THE WATER TONIGHT OR ON MONDAY! RESIDUAL RIP CURRENTS WILL REMAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED DOWNWARD SLIGHTLY DUE TO A FASTER FORWARD MOTION FROM DENNIS. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TOTALS OF BETWEEN 5 AND 7 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS UP TO 10 INCHES. GROUND CONDITIONS ARE SATURATED AND RAINFALL RUNOFF WILL BE RAPID...ESPECIALLY NEAR RURAL CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OVER URBAN CONCRETE SURFACES. IF FLOODING IS ENCOUNTERED WHILE DRIVING... REMEMBER TO TURN AROUND AND DON'T DROWN. LATEST RAINFALL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT RIVER FLOODING COULD BE WORSE THAN IVAN OF 2004...BUT NOT AS SEVERE AS HURRICANE GEORGES OF 1998. AREA RIVERS WILL GO INTO FLOOD SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THROUGHOUT THE UPCOMING MIDWEEK. THE RIVER FLOODING IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE EXACT TRACK OF DENNIS. ...TORNADO THREAT...USUALLY...THE GREATEST THREAT OF HURRICANE INDUCED TORNADOES IS IN THE OUTER RAINBANDS NORTHEAST OF THE STORM'S CENTER. A SECOND TORNADO THREAT WILL BE CONCENTRATED AROUND THE EYE DURING LANDFALL. OBVIOUSLY...THIS WILL OCCUR LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS DENNIS PLOWS INLAND. TORNADO WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO THE IMMINENT THREAT. ...NEW INFORMATION... LATEST RAINFALL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT RIVER FLOODING COULD BE WORSE THAN IVAN OF 2004...BUT NOT AS SEVERE AS HURRICANE GEORGES OF 1998. NUMEROUS AREA RIVERS WILL GO INTO FLOOD SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AND WILL LIKELY REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THROUGH MIDWEEK. THE RIVER FLOODING IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE EXACT TRACK OF DENNIS. INLAND RIVER FLOODING KILLS. TURN AROUND...DON'T DROWN! HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENTS WILL BE PREPARED EVERY ONE TO TWO HOURS AND WILL REFLECT THE LATEST RADAR TRENDS OF THE SHORT-TERM MOVEMENT OF DENNIS. THIS PRODUCT WILL BE SHORTENED TO REFLECT AND FOCUS ON THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION AS DENNIS EVOLVES. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT SCHEDULED HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 300 PM CDT...OR EARLIER IF NEEDED. $$ MEDLIN