NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA

8:30 AM EDT SAT AUG 14 2004

…HURRICANE WARNING FOR THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS SOUTH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA VIRGINIA BORDER…AND THE CURRITUCK ADN ALBEMARLE

SOUNDS…

…TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND… THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS FROM FENWICK ISLAND DELAWARE TO THE NORTH CAROLINA

VIRGINIA BORDER…

…AREAS AFFECTED…

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR RESIDENTS OF NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA… SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA…THE EASTERN SHORE…FOR COUNTIES ADJACENT TO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY…ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS AND THE CURRITUCK AND ALBEMARLE SOUND.

…WATCHES AND WARNINGS…

A HURRICANE WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL WATERS SOUTH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA VIRGINIA BORDER…AND THE CURRITUCK AND ALBEMARLE SOUNDS.

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS…

IN NORTH CAROLINA:

BERTIE…CAMDEN…CHOWAN…PASQUOTANK…PERQUIMANS…AND CURRITUCK.

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNED AREA…WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY…AND THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS FROM FENWICK ISLAND DELAWARE TO THE NORTH CAROLINA VIRGINIA BORDER.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS…

IN MARYLAND:

DORCHESTER…SOMERSET…WICOMICO…AND WORCESTER.

IN VIRGINIA:

ACCOMACK…CHESAPEAKE…ESSEX…GLOUCESTER…ISLE OF WIGHT…JAMES CITY…LANCASTER…MATHEWS…MIDDLESEX…NEWPORT NEWS/HAMPTON …NORFOLK/PORTSMOUTH…NORTHAMPTON…NORTHUMBERLAND…POQUOSON…RICHMOND…SUFFOLK…SURRY…VIRGINIA BEACH…WILLIAMSBURG…WESTMORELAND AND YORK.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNED AREA…WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

…STORM INFORMATION…

AT 8 AM EDT…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE CHARLEY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 32.3 NORTH…LONGITUDE 79.7 WEST OR ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA…OR ABOUT 340 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ELIZABETH CITY NORTH CAROLINA. CHARLEY IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 28 MPH. THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK…CHARLEY WILL MOVE ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC COASTAL STATES TODAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 85 MPH…WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THE LATEST PRESSURE MEASURED BY THE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT WAS 993 MB…29.32 INCHES.

…WIND IMPACTS…

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO NEAR THE ALBEMARLE SOUND

LATE THIS AFTERNOON…AND FARTHER NORTH ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CHESAPEAKE BAY AND SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA COASTS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL OVERSPREAD THE MIDDLE BAY AND EASTERN SHORE DURING THE EVENING HOURS. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL THEN CONTINUE IN THE WARNED AREA INTO TONIGHT…WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH…AND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH POSSIBLE. HIGHER GUSTS…TO HURRICANE FORCE ARE ALSO POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR LOCATIONS ALONG THE ALBEMARLE SOUND. THESE WINDS MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES…GIVEN HOW WET THE GROUND IS GIVEN RECENT RAINS.

…STORM SURGE FLOOD AND STORM TIDE IMPACTS…

THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF MINOR BEACH EROSION AND MINOR TO MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING…DUE TO A FORECAST STORM SURGE OF 1 TO 2 FEET ACROSS MOST OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY…INCLUDING THE TIDAL PORTION OF MOST RIVERS FLOWING INTO THE BAY…ALBEMARLE SOUND…AND ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. HIGHER SURGES OF 2 TO 3 FEET ARE POSSIBLE ALONG MOBJACK BAY ON THE SOUTHEASTERN MIDDLE PENINSULA…AND ON UPPER REACHES OF RIVERS FLOWING INTO THE ALBEMARLE SOUND…INCLUDING THE CHOWAN…PERQUIMANS…AND PASQUOTANK.

…MARINE INFORMATION…

SEAS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING 4 TO 5 FEET OVER THE COASTAL WATERS. AS WINDS INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING…SEAS WILL INCREASE TO 7 TO 12 FEET…WITH 6 TO 8 FEET NEAR SHORE. THESE LARGE WAVES WILL PRODUCE VERY ROUGH SURF. MARINERS ARE URGED TO REMAIN IN PORT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.

…RIP CURRENT INFORMATION…

THE COMBINATION OF SOUTHEAST SWELLS…AND ONSHORE WINDS WILL PRODUCE A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE COAST THROUGH SUNDAY. THESE DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WILL BE LIFE THREATENING TO ANYONE WHO ENTERS THE WATER.

…RAINFALL IMPACTS…

A PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN…WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS…IS EXPECTED SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE…WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA FOR THE POTENTIAL OF FLOODING OF RIVERS…STREAMS…AND CREEKS…DUE TO THIS HEAVY RAINFALL.

RESIDENTS IN THE AFFECTED AREA SHOULD MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND THE MEDIA FOR UPDATES ON HURRICANE CHARLEY. INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/ER/AKQ.

THE NEXT SCHEDULED HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY AROUND NOON…UNLESS CONDITIONS WARRANT AN UPDATE EARLIER.