FFANEW LAZ034>040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068>071-077-080>082-092100- BULLETIN...IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED FLOOD WATCH...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 500 AM CDT SAT OCT 9 2004 ...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA THROUGH 4 PM TODAY... IN MISSISSIPPI...COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE WILKINSON... AMITE...PIKE...WALTHALL...PEARL RIVER...HANCOCK...HARRISON AND JACKSON. IN LOUISIANA...PARISHES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE ASCENSION... ASSUMPTION...EAST BATON ROUGE...EAST FELICIANA...IBERVILLE... JEFFERSON...LAFOURCHE...LIVINGSTON...ORLEANS. .. PLAQUEMINES...POINTE COUPEE...ST. BERNARD...ST. CHARLES...ST. HELENA...ST. JAMES...ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST...ST. TAMMANY...TANGIPAHOA...TERREBONNE... WASHINGTON...WEST BATON ROUGE AND WEST FELICIANA. TROPICAL STORM MATTHEW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO THROUGH TONIGHT. DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORM AND COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM MATTHEW...WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WATCH AREA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 7 INCHES HAVE ALREADY BEEN OBSERVED NEAR HOUMA WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS ESTIMATED BY DOPPLER RADAR SOUTH OF HOUMA. OVERALL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS NEAR 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS...CREEKS AND OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS IS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER AND BE PREPARED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION SHOULD HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODING OCCUR OR A FLASH FLOOD WARNING BE ISSUED. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL FLOOD SITUATION. $$