FORT BEND COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
September 12, 2008
6:36PM
Hurricane Wind Warning
HURRICANE IKE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
639 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008
IKE STRENGTHENING
AT 600 PM CDT THE CENTER OF VERY LARGE HURRICANE IKE
WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.2 NORTH AND LONGITUDE 93.8 WEST OR ABOUT 100 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON TEXAS.
IKE HAS BEEN MOVING BETWEEN THE WEST-NORTHWEST AND NORTHWEST NEAR 13 MPH 20 KM/HR. A NORTHWEST MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TONIGHT WITH A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH EXPECTED ON SATURDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK THE LARGE CENTER OF IKE WILL BE MOVING ONSHORE IN THE GALVESTON BAY REGION. A LARGE PORTION OF THE COAST WILL EXPERIENCE THE EYE AND EYEWALL TONIGHT.
DATA FROM NOAA DOPPLER WEATHER RADARS AND RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE IKE HAS BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED AND MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE NOW INCREASED TO NEAR 110 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IKE IS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE AND COULD REACH THE TEXAS COAST AS A CATEGORY THREE MAJOR HURRICANE. STRONGER WINDS ESPECIALLY IN GUSTS ARE LIKELY ON HIGH RISE BUILDINGS.
IKE REMAINS A VERY LARGE HURRICANE AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS
EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 120 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 275 MILES.
THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE RECENTLY REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS 954 MB…28.17 INCHES.
DO NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE IN THE EYE. THE STRONGEST WINDS AND
HIGHEST SURGE WILL LIKELY OCCUR NEAR OR JUST AFTER THE EYE MAKES LANDFALL.
TXZ163-164-176>179-198-199-212-226-227-132345-
/O.CON.KHGX.HI.W.0001.000000T0000Z-080914T1200Z/
FORT BEND-GRIMES-HOUSTON-MADISON-MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO- TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WHARTON-639 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008
HURRICANE WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT SUNDAY.
AREAS AFFECTED
THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OR MARINE AREAS:
FORT BEND, GRIMES, HOUSTON, MADISON, MONTGOMERY, POLK, SAN JACINTO, TRINITY, WALKER, WALLER, WHARTON.
WATCHES/WARNINGS
PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE ADDITIONAL HAZARDS.
FLOOD WATCH.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
DAMAGING WINDS ARE EXPECTED.
PERSONS SHOULD PREPARE THEIR PROPERTIES FOR THE EXPECTATION OF
DAMAGING WINDS. SECURE OR REMOVE ANY LOOSE ITEMS SURROUNDING YOUR PROPERTY WHICH COULD BE BLOWN AROUND BY TROPICAL STORM OR HURRICANE FORCE WINDS. TRIM TREES NEAR YOUR PROPERTY.
MOST MOBILE HOMES WILL EXPERIENCE MODERATE DAMAGE. SOME OF POOR CONSTRUCTION WILL BE UNINHABITABLE UNTIL REPAIRED. HOUSES OF POOR TO AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION WILL HAVE DAMAGE TO SHINGLES, SIDING AND GUTTERS. SOME WINDOWS WILL BE BLOWN OUT. UNFASTENED HOME ITEMS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE WEIGHT WILL BECOME AIRBORNE CAUSING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE INJURY. DOZENS OF WIRES WILL BE BLOWN DOWN. LOCAL POWER OUTAGES WILL AFFECT ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS.
MANY LARGE BRANCHES OF HEALTHY TREES WILL BE SNAPPED…AND
ROTTING SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED TREES WILL BE UPROOTED.
WINDS
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 39 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO
REACH INTO THE HEMPSTEAD TO CONROE TO LIVINGSTON CORRIDOR THIS EVENING. THESE WINDS WILL SPREAD NORTH TO THE
HUNTSVILLE…MADISONVILLE…LIVINGSTON…AND CROCKETT AREAS AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. THESE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
HURRICANE FORCE WIND GUSTS ARE LIKELY AND SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE AREA BEGINNING BETWEEN 2 AND 5 AM TONIGHT AND LASTING THROUGH MID MORNING SATURDAY. WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 90 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE.
INLAND FLOODING
A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT.
RAIN BANDS ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE IKE WILL BEGIN ACROSS THE AREA VERY LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING.
WIDESPREAD RAINFALL OF 5 TO 7 INCHES WITH ISOLATED TOTALS OF 10
TO 12 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH SUNDAY. SIGNIFICANT
FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE IN AREAS OF HEAVIEST RAINFALL.
TORNADOES…
THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES WILL INCREASE RAPIDLY IN THE NEXT FEW
HOURS AND CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY AS IKE MOVES ONSHORE. YOU SHOULD PLAN TO SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR AWAY FROM WINDOWS.