NWS Melbourne Flood Briefing for Event Ending Today

Transcription

1 NWS Melbourne Flood Briefing for Event Ending Today Saturday March 6, AM Scott Spratt; Warning Coordination Meteorologist TRAINING SCENARIO FOR DISASTER RESISTANT COMMUNITIES GROUP

2 TRAINING SCENARIO FOR DISASTER RESISTANT COMMUNITIES GROUP

3 Three day storm-total rains have reached historic totals of 20 to 28 inches across much of Okeechobee St. Lucie and Martin Counties with isolated totals as high as 30 inches over interior St. Lucie County and extreme southern Okeechobee County. If you are in a safe location remain in place and do not attempt to travel as numerous dangers exist. If you must evacuate due to unsafe conditions contact emergency officials if possible and use extreme caution. Do not travel at night! TRAINING SCENARIO FOR DISASTER RESISTANT COMMUNITIES GROUP Catastrophic flooding continues across a large part of the region with reports of several feet of standing water across a widespread area. Several hundred homes and businesses have been inundated with flood waters and most roadways remain closed. The low pressure system which has been producing the severe flooding has intensified over the past 24 hours and begun to move slowly northwest toward the Florida panhandle. Forecast data indicates that the low will continue to move northwest away from south Florida allowing rainfall to taper off through this afternoon and end totally by this evening. An additional 2 to 4 inches of rain is possible through sunset. An Extreme Threat for significant flooding continues due to high levels of standing water which will only slowly begin to recede today or tonight. A very serious threat to life and property continues and travel is not advised.

4 TRAINING SCENARIO FOR DISASTER RESISTANT COMMUNITIES GROUP An Extreme Risk for flooding continues for much of Okeechobee St. Lucie and Martin Counties. Catastrophic flooding is currently being experienced. Additional rainfall of 2 to 4 inches will cause water levels to rise a little higher or at least remain steady today then slowly begin to recede tonight. Travel is not advised. A few periods of moderate to briefly heavy rain will continue this morning, with coverage and intensity lessening this afternoon and rainfall ending all together by sunset.

5 Wide swath of 72-hour rainfall (storm total) now likely to reach inches! TRAINING SCENARIO FOR DISASTER RESISTANT COMMUNITIES GROUP

6 For further detailed information, call NWS Melbourne Forecasters and/or check NWS Melbourne webpage weather.gov/melbourne Significant Flooding Potential through Tonight TRAINING SCENARIO FOR DISASTER RESISTANT COMMUNITIES GROUP

7 BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 854 AM EDT SAT MAR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS EXTENDED THE TRAINING SCENARIO FOR DISASTER RESISTANT COMMUNITIES GROUP FLOOD WARNING FOR... MARTIN COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... OKEECHOBEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ST. LUCIE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA... UNTIL 600 PM EDT SATURDAY. AT 850 AM EDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS EXTENDED THE FLOOD WARNING FOR OKEECHOBEE ST. LUCIE AND MARTIN COUNTIES. HISTORIC RAINFALL OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS HAS LED TO EXTREME FLOODING OF MOST ROADS...HUNDREDS OF HOMES WITH WIDESPREAD LEVELS OF STANDING WATER ACROSS MOST LOW-LYING AREAS WITHIN THE FLOOD WARNING AREA. RECORDED RAINFALL AMOUNTS SINCE THURSDAY INCLUDE OVER 28 INCHES AT OKEECHOBEE AIRPORT AND OVER 31 INCHES FROM A PUBLIC REPORT IN FT. PIERCE. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 25 TO 30 INCHES LOCALLY HIGHER HAS OCCURRED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. THE HEAVY RAIN HAS CAUSED CATASTROPHIC FLOODING OF MOST ROADWAYS ACROSS OKEECHOBEE ST. LUCIE AND MARTIN COUNTIES FROM OKEECHOBEE AND FORT DRUM TO FORT PIERCE STUART AND PORT SALERNO. ADDITIONAL MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE AGAIN THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON AND MAY TRAIN OVER THE SAME AREAS PRODUCING SEVERAL MORE INCHES AND AGGRAVATE THE FLOODING ALREADY OCCURRING. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... WITH SEVERAL FEET OF STANDING WATER WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE REGION ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL KEEP WATER LEVELS FROM FALLING. WATER ELEVATIONS WILL LIKELY REMAIN STEADY OR EVEN RISE SLIGHTLY THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON THEN BEGIN TO FALL SLOWLY THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. WIDESPREAD INNUNDATION OF ROADS AND INTERSECTIONS WILL PERSIST TODAY. HUNDREDS OF HOMES AND BUSINESSES REMAIN SUBJECT TO WATER INTRUSION RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IN MANY AREAS. 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. ONLY TWO FEET OF WATER CAN MAKE MOST VEHICLES BUOYANT. TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN!