Here's the latest on Frances:

The winds have slowed a bit to 105 mph with higher gusts but they could increase as it moves to shore.

Severe Alert:


...HURRICANE FRANCES LOCAL STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 818 AM EDT SAT SEP 4 2004

... STRONG OUTER RAINBANDS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND FLOODING RAINS SPREADING ONSHORE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...

... HURRICANE WARNING FROM SOUTH OF FLAGLER BEACH TO FLORIDA CITY WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST...

... INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING FOR ALL INTERIOR COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...

... FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...

... AREAS AFFECTED... THIS HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... VOLUSIA... LAKE... SEMINOLE... ORANGE... BREVARD... OSCEOLA... INDIAN RIVER... SAINT LUCIE... MARTIN AND OKEECHOBEE.

... WATCHES AND WARNINGS... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM FLAGLER BEACH SOUTH TO FLORIDA CITY... WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COASTAL COUNTIES... AND ALSO LAKE OKEECHOBEE. AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR OKEECHOBEE... OSCEOLA... ORANGE... LAKE ... INLAND VOLUSIA AND SEMINOLE COUNTIES. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA.

... STORM INFORMATION... AT 8 AM EDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.7 NORTH... LONGITUDE 78.4 WEST OR ABOUT 130 MILES SOUTH EAST OF FORT PIERCE. FRANCES IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 6 MPH... WITH A TURN MORE TO THE WEST NORTHWEST EXPECTED LATER TODAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THIS MAKES FRANCES A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE POSSIBLE TODAY AS FRANCES BECOMES A LITTLE MORE ORGANIZED. LANDFALL STRENGTH IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR CATEGORY THREE STRENGTH.

... PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... CONDITIONS WILL BE DETERIORATING AS THE DAY PROGRESSES AS HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN MOVE IN. POWER OUTAGES AND DOWNED TREES AND LIMBS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPORTED IN COASTAL BREVARD COUNTY THIS MORNING. RESIDENTS OF BREVARD... EASTERN OSCEOLA... INDIAN RIVER... SAINT LUCIE... MARTIN AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTIES SHOULD STAY IN SHELTER TODAY AS STRONG RAINBANDS WITH WIND GUSTS TO 60 OR 70 MPH AND TORRENTIAL RAIN ARE ALREADY MOVING ONSHORE THIS MORNING. RAINBANDS WILL BEGIN MOVING ACROSS WESTERN OSCEOLA COUNTY... SEMINOLE... ORANGE AND SOUTHERN VOLUSIA COUNTIES BY MID DAY OR EARLY AFTERNOON. PRECAUTIONARY AND PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES SHOULD ALREADY BE COMPLETED AND RESIDENTS MUST STAY IN SHELTER ONCE RAINBANDS MOVE IN. THIS WILL BE A LONG DURATION EVENT. DO NOT GET CAUGHT TRYING TO DO THINGS OUTDOORS IN BETWEEN RAINBANDS... STAY PUT IN SHELTER. IT IS NOW TIME TO CONCENTRATE ON KEEPING YOURSELF SAFE DURING THE STORM. AS FRANCES MAKES LANDFALL THIS EVENING... PEOPLE IN AND CLOSE TO THE CORE OF MAXIMUM WINDS SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IN A SMALL ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR SUCH AS A CLOSET OR BATHROOM. PUT AS MANY WALLS BETWEEN YOU AND THE HURRICANE WINDS AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

... WIND IMPACTS... WITH WINDS OF 105 MPH... FRANCES IS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE. IT IS LIKELY THAT SOME REORGANIZATION WILL TAKE PLACE TODAY AS FRANCES MOVES SLOWLY OVER THE GULF STREAM AND FRANCES COULD STILL MAKE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY THREE STORM WITH WINDS NEAR 110 MPH... MAKING FRANCES A DANGEROUS AND MAJOR HURRICANE. THEREFORE... THE WIND THREAT REMAINS EXTREME. THE THREAT OF MAJOR HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL BE CONFINED TO THE VICINITY OF LANDFALL. WINDS OF 105 TO 110 MPH WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT TO EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.

RAIN BANDS AND SQUALLS WILL BE SWEEPING ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING... INCREASING INTO THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS TO 75 MPH WITH PASSING RAINBANDS MAY OCCUR THIS MORNING AND BECOME CONSIDERABLY STRONGER INTO THE EVENING.

... STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS... THE STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE THREAT TO EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA IS HIGH. APPROXIMATELY 6 FEET OF SURGE WILL OCCUR NEAR AND TO THE IMMEDIATE RIGHT OF WHERE FRANCES CROSSES THE COAST. A SURGE OF 4 TO 5 FEET WILL BE COMMON FOR THE REMAINDER OF COASTAL SECTIONS SOUTH OF CAPE CANAVERAL. NORTH OF CAPE CANAVERAL... A SURGE OF 3 FEET IS LIKELY. ALSO... BATTERING WAVES WILL BE OF GREAT CONCERN ALONG THE BEACHES GIVEN THE HIGH WINDS SPEEDS AND DURATION... WITH SIGNIFICANT WIND AND WAVE DAMAGE ALSO LIKELY IN THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY.

... TORNADO IMPACTS... ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN SOME OF THE STRONGER OUTER RAINBANDS AND THE THREAT WILL INCREASE AS THE INNER RAINBANDS OF FRANCES MOVE IN LATER TONIGHT. TORNADO WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED IF A HIGH THREAT OF TORNADOES OR DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IS INDICATED BY DOPPLER RADAR.

... FLOOD IMPACTS... BETWEEN 5 AM AND 8AM RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO TWO INCHES OCCURRED IN OUTER RAINBANDS IN BREVARD... INDIAN RIVER AND SAINT LUCIE COUNTIES AND LOCALIZED FLOODING HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL OVERSPREAD CENTRAL FLORIDA TODAY AND ONE OF THE MORE DANGEROUS ASPECTS OF HURRICANE FRANCES WILL BE FLOODING. THE SLOWER FRANCES MOVES ACROSS THE PENINSULA... THE GREATER THE FLOOD THREAT. A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTIES THROUGH SUNDAY. RAIN TOTALS OF 8 TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE AS FRANCES CROSSES THE PENINSULA. LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OF 16 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. THE GREATEST RAINFALL IS EXPECTED IN THE VICINITY OF THE CENTER TRACK. PLACES ALREADY SATURATED FROM RECENT HEAVY RAINS WILL BE MOST VULNERABLE TO SERIOUS FLOODING. RESIDENTS ALONG THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR MAJOR FLOODING.

... NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND NOON OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT....


Again, to all our SZ Floridians and everyone else in Frances's path and outlying vicinity - STAY SAFE!!

PS: Hopefully everybody has already evacuated that needs to be and IS safe ALREADY from Frances's fury.

Best regards,
Mike

Just talked with Eddie "Btweengigs" Shoemaker on the phone, he's fine, says the storm looks it will pass to the north of where he's hunkered down, but the size of the storm and its projected track will likely produce huge quantities of rainfall, possibly 20 inches or more.

Additionally, he said nearly all of the gas stations are closed and out of gas. Everyone filled their tanks and because there was nothing coming in from the north, the underground tanks were quickly emptied. He was among the last people in line to get gas before heading across the state.

Watching the idiot reporters standing on the beach in 90 MPH winds makes me wonder what planet these guys and gals are from. No one in their right mind would put themselves in the middle of a massive hurricane just so it can be put on the news. "I'm Joe Blow live in Palm Beach, Florida and my skin was just shredded by a 105-MPH gust of sand-laden wind. Back to you in the studioooooooooooo!" What idiots!

Gary

Hello........It's 2pm Saturday and already have had some 40mph gusts of wind with heavy rain. The worst is supposed to pass over Charlotte County tonight. They say we might see 60-70mph wind gusts and up to 10 inches of rain. This is better for Charlotte County than predicted earlier. 40,000+ roofs are tarped here!! I added some 1 X 2 boards over my tarp.........golly I hope it holds! Hurricane Charley left me with a sagging drywall ceiling and a lot of small inside leaks. I haven't seen hide nor hair of my insurance adjuster either.......he will probably go to the areas Frances damages and never return here. Small countys in Florida are easily forgotten. There are still a lot of people in shelters here still. Despite my damaged home I feel lucky to at least be able to live in it. There are far too many who cannot. Good luck to the counties north of here who will get the brunt of the storm. I heard this storm is moving at a snails pace (6mph) and may even be stalling. It's going to be a L O N G weekend!!!
As long as the tarp and power stays on I am enjoying my weekend the best I can. I played my PSR3000 a few times already and it sounds better than ever. I have tarps all around the house ready to cover up my stuff if the roof leaks. It's all I can do...............charley (maybe I should go by Charles???) hehehehe

Good Luck Charlie--Hope the storm swings to the north and falls apart, though it's not likely.

BTW, thanks for the Mexican dance styles, the conversions were great.

Keep in touch,

Gary

Just got a phone call from my wife, saying that the hurricane is supposed to come through Pensacola here on Monday.

I'm going to start drawing water etc just in case. You never really know where these storms will go and what it will be like.

Guess I'll start watching the weather now myself for a change.

Course if we have to evacuate, I'm sure the Tyros will come along.

Best
Scott

Well, we missed Frances. We did not get any rain or winds. They predicted 6-10 inches, 30-40 mph winds, flooding etc. It is hard for the weatherman to predict ANY kind of weather down here because Florida is a peninsula. Not anything like the more accurate reports we used to get in Wisconsin.

Now I see Ivan is predicted to come right here again about a week from now. Who knows? We just wait and watch and don't really take much notice of it until it looks like a really for sure thing.

I hope this one misses us too, and I hope everybody else is doing ok now and stays safe.

Scott

[This message has been edited by Scott Langholff (edited 09-08-2004).]