Advisory FFA Flood Watch — Sat Oct 9, 2004 6:23 AM

FFANEW
LAZ034>040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068>071-077-080>082-092100-

BULLETIN...IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
500 AM CDT SAT OCT 9 2004

...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FORM FOR SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
AND SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA THROUGH SUNDAY...

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....OVER THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO...IS
EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO
SATURDAY NIGHT AND POSSIBLY REACHING SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA SUNDAY. 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 SUNDAY.

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.