URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
455 PM EDT THU AUG 12 2004

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A FLOOD WATCH
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM EDT SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WATCH INCLUDES
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

CHARLOTTE...CITRUS...DE SOTO...HARDEE...HERNANDO...HIGHLANDS...
HILLSBOROUGH...LEE...LEVY...MANATEE...PASCO...PINELLAS...POLK...
SARASOTA AND SUMTER.

SOME CITIES IN THE WATCH INCLUDE...

ARCADIA...BARTOW...BRADENTON...BRANDON...BROOKSVILLE...CAPE CORAL...
CHIEFLAND...CLEARWATER...CLEARWATER BEACH...FORT MYERS...INVERNESS...
LAKELAND...NEW PORT RICHEY...PORT CHARLOTTE...PUNTA GORDA...
SARASOTA...SEBRING...SPRING HILL...TAMPA...VENICE...WINTER HAVEN AND
ZEPHYRHILLS.

...SYNOPSIS...
HURRICANE CHARLEY WILL MOVE INTO THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO LATE
TONIGHT AND THEN MOVE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ON
FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. HURRICANE WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FROM
BONITA BEACH IN LEE COUNTY TO BAYPORT IN HERNANDO COUNTY. A HURRICANE
WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM BAYPORT TO THE SUWANNEE RIVER IN LEVY
COUNTY.

RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH HURRICANE CHARLEY.
THIS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL AGGRAVATE ALREADY SATURATED GROUND
CONDITIONS ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.
MODERATE RIVER FLOODING AS WELL AS MODERATE URBAN FLOODING IS
POSSIBLE.

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS FLOODING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 TO 36
HOURS. RESIDENTS LIVING IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS...AS WELL AS THOSE
LIVING NEAR SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS...SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT
PROPERTY AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR UPDATES
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.