FFANEW LAZ038>040-050-056>070-MSZ070-071-077-080>082-101800- BULLETIN...IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED FLOOD WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 526 PM CDT SAT OCT 9 2004 ...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA THROUGH SUNDAY... IN MISSISSIPPI...COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE...PIKE... WALTHALL...PEARL RIVER...HANCOCK...HARRISON AND JACKSON. IN LOUISIANA...PARISHES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE ASSUMPTION... ...JEFFERSON...LAFOURCHE...LIVINGSTON...ORLEANS...PLAQUEMINES... ST. BERNARD...ST. CHARLES...ST. JAMES...ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST...ST. TAMMANY...TANGIPAHOA...TERREBONNE...AND WASHINGTON. TROPICAL STORM MATTHEW....OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO... IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH NORTHEAST REACHING SOUTHEAST COASTAL LOUISIANA AREA EARLY SUNDAY. AS TROPICAL STORM MATTHEW MOVES ACROSS THE AREA...WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WATCH AREA. THE GROUND IS SATURATED FROM RAINFALL OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 7 HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN SOME AREAS OF COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA DURING THE PAST 36 HOURS. LESSER RAIN AMOUNTS OF 0.5 TO 1.5 INCHES HAVE OCCURRED IN COASTAL MISSISSIPPI. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF 3 TO 5 INCHES IS EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY...MAINLY EAST OF THE TRACK OF MATTHEW. DUE TO THE SATURATED GROUND...ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL QUICKLY RUNOFF RESULTING IN POTENTIAL FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. 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.      WTUS84 KLIX 092134 HLSLIX LAZ038-040-050-056>070-MSZ080>082-100130- TROPICAL STORM MATTHEW LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 430 PM CDT SAT OCT 9 2004 ...MATTHEW REGAINS TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH... ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI INCLUDING LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN... ...AREAS AFFECTED... IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...THIS STATEMENT IS PRIMARILY FOR THE FOLLOWING PARISHES IN LOUISIANA...ASSUMPTION...LIVINGSTON... ...LAFOURCHE...PLAQUEMINES...JEFFERSON...ST BERNARD...ORLEANS... ST CHARLES...ST JAMES...ST JOHN THE BAPTIST...TERREBONNE... TANGIPAHOA AND ST TAMMANY. IN ADDITION....THIS STATEMENT IS PRIMARILY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN MISSISSIPPI...HANCOCK...JACKSON...HARRISON. ...WATCHES AND WARNINGS... THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA BORDER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA INCLUDING AREAS ADJACENT TO LAKE PONCHARTRAIN AND LAKE MAUREPAS. ...STORM INFORMATION SUMMARY... AT 400 PM CDT...TROPICAL STORM MATTHEW WAS LOCATED AT 27.3 NORTH AND 91.9 WEST OR ABOUT 210 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. MATTHEW IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NORTHEAST AROUND 9 MPH. THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TONIGHT WITH THE CENTER REACHING THE COAST EARLY SUNDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FLUCTUATION IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST PRIOR TO LANDFALL. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... RESIDENTS IN WARNING AREA SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ABOVE NORMAL TIDES...WIND GUSTS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE...40 MPH OR HIGHER...AND OCCASIONAL HEAVY RAIN. RESIDENTS IN LOW LYING COASTAL AREA AND NEAR TIDAL LAKES SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT PROPERTY EXPOSED TO TIDAL FLOODING. ACROSS INLAND AREAS HEAVY RAINFALL MAY ALSO CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS. RESIDENTS ALONG RIVERS SHOULD MONITOR RIVER LEVELS AND THE LATEST FORECAST. ...STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... TIDES ARE CURRENTLY 2 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. AS TROPICAL STORM MATTHEW MOVES INTO SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA...STRONG EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL CAUSE TIDES TO RANGE FROM 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH SUNDAY. LOW LYING AREAS AND ROADWAYS NEAR THE COAST...ESPECIALLY OUTSIDE OF HURRICANE PROTECTION LEVEES MAY FLOOD TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. SOME ACCESS ROADWAYS IN LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS MAY BECOME IMPASSABLE DUE TO STORM SURGE FLOODING. SOME TIDAL FLOODING CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED IN LOW LYING AREAS SURROUNDING LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN IMPACTING PROPERTY. ...WIND IMPACTS.... EAST TO SOUTHEAST WIND OF 25 TO 35 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY. WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH MAY OCCUR IN SQUALLS LATER TONIGHT... ESPECIALLY IN COASTAL AREAS. ...RAINFALL... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF AREA TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE LIKELY ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. ...TORNADOES... THERE IS A RISK OF ISOLATED TORNADOES ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS LATE TONIGHT AS RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM MATTHEW. MOVE ONSHORE. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 730 PM CDT. $$