FFANEW
LAZ038>040-050-056>070-MSZ070-071-077-080>082-101500-

BULLETIN...IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
400 AM CDT SUN OCT 10 2004

...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
   MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA TODAY...

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....APPROACHING THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA COAST
AT 4 AM CDT...WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE BANDS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY
TROPICAL RAINS THIS MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON AS IT TRACKS TO
THE NORTH AT AROUND 10 MPH. THE GROUND IS ALREADY SATURATED FROM
RAINS THAT HAVE FALLEN SINCE LATE THURSDAY NIGHT.

SOME PRELIMINARY RAINFALL STORM TOTALS TALLIED SINCE 1 AM FRIDAY
MORNING THROUGH 4 AM THIS SUNDAY MORNING...A DURATION OF 51 HOURS...

NEW ORLEANS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...6.08 INCHES
NEW ORLEANS AUDUBON PARK...3.60 INCHES
NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRONT AIRPORT...1.95 INCHES
SLIDELL...2.70 INCHES
BATON ROUGE...6.65 INCHES
BOOTHVILLE...2.58 INCHES
GULFPORT...1.63 INCHES.

AN ADDITIONAL 3 TO 5 INCHES OF RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE IN THE
WATCH AREA DURING THE DAY WITH THE PASSAGE OF TROPICAL STORM
MATTHEW. THE RAINFALL RATES WILL AVERAGE ABOUT A HALF INCH PER HOUR
THROUGHOUT THE MORNING WITH SOME STRONGER RAINBANDS PRODUCING ONE
INCH PER HOUR RATES. PONDING OF WATER AND FRESHWATER FLOODING OF LOW
LYING AREAS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY. DUE TO VERY HIGH TIDES IN THE
COASTAL AREAS...DRAINAGE WILL BE HAMPERED BY TIDAL BACKWATER NEAR THE
LAKES AND COAST.

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.

RAINS ARE EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
HOWEVER...TIDES WILL BE SLOW TO FALL AND GRAVITY DRAINAGE WILL NOT
IMPROVE APPRECIABLY UNTIL LATER THIS EVENING.

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 UPDATES
CONCERNING THIS HEAVY RAIN AND FLOOD POTENTIAL SITUATION.


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