St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center

100 EOC Dr.

St. Augustine, FL 32092

Telephone: 904-824-5550

Facsimile: 904-824-9920

Email regarding this report:

One Team – One Plan – All Hazards

Hurricane Irene

IMPORTANT LOCAL WEATHER INFORMATION

Situation Report #4 Thursday, August 25, 2011

Current Situation:

·  St. Johns County EOC is at Level 3 – Monitoring.

·  State EOC is at a Level 3 – Monitoring.

·  St. Johns County is currently under:

§  Tropical Storm Warning for Coastal Waters - This warning DOES NOT affect land. Tropical Storm conditions will develop in the coastal waters Thursday night and persist throughout the day on Friday. High winds and seas along with passing squalls will be a concern for all marine interest as the western flanks of Irene impact the coastal waters of NE Florida. Mariners are urged to make all necessary preparations to return to port, seek safe harbor, and secure their craft.

§  Coastal Flood Warning - Tides near 2 feet above normal will cause minor to moderate tidal flooding at the time of high tide. If you normally experience problems with flooding or wave action during a strong local northeaster you are likely to experience similar flooding on Friday into Saturday morning.

§  High Surf Advisory - surf conditions will deteriorate today with surf heights building to 5 - 7 feet , and increasing to 7 - 9 feet on Friday. As a result the rip current threat will increase and the surf will become very hazardous. Citizens are urged to stay out of the surf until conditions improve.

§  Lake Wind Advisory - As Hurricane Irene moves north, well off the coast of Florida, winds will increase with sustained speeds of 20 mph and gusts to 30 mph.

§  Small Craft Advisory - Wind speeds of 20 - 33 knots and/or seas of 7 feet or higher are expected to produce hazardous conditions for small craft.

·  Today's Weather: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Breezy, with a east wind 10 to 13 mph increasing to between 19 and 22 mph

·  Tonight's Weather: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 78. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 15 mph.

County Actions:

·  Emergency Operations Center is at a Level 3 – Monitoring.

·  St. Johns County has not declared a Local State of Emergency.

·  St. Johns County Emergency Management is participating in State Conference calls with the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center.

Beach Management:

·  Beach access ramps will close to vehicular traffic beginning around 1 pm today. The ramps will be re-opened mid-morning on Saturday if conditions allow.

·  The St. Johns County Pier will close around 2 pm today and re-open Saturday mid-morning if conditions allow.

Hurricane Irene:

·  Hurricane Irene is currently a Major Category 3 Hurricane, it forecasted to pass roughly 200 miles offshore of NE Florida Friday.

·  Impacts from Hurricane Irene for St. Johns County on Friday include:

→ Higher than normal tides coupled with high astronomical tides

→ Rough surf, beach erosion and some coastal flooding is possible

→ High risk of rip currents

→ Periods of locally heavy rainfall along the coast

→ Coastal winds of 20-26 mph with gusts up to 40 mph

·  Residents should continue to monitor official forecast on Hurricane Irene.

On-Line Information and Briefings:

·  National Weather Service – Jacksonville Office: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/index.shtml This link will take you to the NWS Jacksonville Office, under the heading Live Weather Headlines you will see - Tropics: Hurricane Irene, click there for the latest briefing from NWS Jacksonville.

·  National Hurricane Center

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ This link will take you to their main page and you will see a map called Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Activity. This is an informational map that illustrates the current storms and possible areas of development. If you roll over the areas of development or existing storms you will get a receive overview.

Special Note

  Now would be a good time for all citizens to review their emergency plan and supplies, as well as determine their Evacuation Zone by going to our website www.sjcemergencymanagement.com and clicking on the My Evacuation Zone link.

  Please take this time to make sure that your NOAA weather radio is operational. The programming numbers for the NOAA weather radio’s are as follows:

o  Northern St. Johns County – Jacksonville Transmitter – 162.550

o  Southern St. Johns County – Palatka Transmitter – 162.425

o  S.A.M.E number for specific County programming 012109

  Items in red are items that have changed or been added since the last Situation Report.

  Situation Reports for Hurricane Irene will be issued as conditions warrant.

Citizens Information Line 904-824-5550

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