NWS: W.C. Fla. Coastal Flood Watch until.....

[dixiebreeze]

Thursday:

Statement as of 5:45 PM EDT on September 14, 2004


... High surf advisory in effect until 530 PM EDT Thursday
afternoon...

The advisory includes the following coastal counties...

Manatee... Charlotte... Lee... Pinellas... Hernando... Sarasota...
Hillsborough... Citrus and Pasco.

Including the cities of... Bradenton... Bradenton Beach... Cape Coral...
Clearwater... Clearwater Beach... Crystal River... Fort Myers... Hernando
Beach... Hudson... New Port Richey... Port Charlotte... Punta Gorda...
Sanibel... Sarasota... Tampa and Venice.

Powerful Hurricane Ivan will continue to move on a north-northwest
track through the south central Gulf of Mexico tonight and early
Wednesday. The storm is generating large swells of over 12 feet that
will bring dangerous water action along the coast and area beaches
tonight through Wednesday.

A high surf advisory is issued when dangerous water action is
expected along the coast. This includes rough surf... large breaking
waves... strong undertow... and rip currents.

Beachgoers are urged to heed lifeguard warnings. A rip current is a
10 to 30 yard wide channel of water that can pull even a strong
swimmer into deeper water.

To avoid getting caught in a rip current... swim at guarded beaches
and heed the advice of the beach patrol. At unguarded beaches and
near piers... jetties... and inlets... do not go into the surf much
above your knees.

If caught in the seaward pull of a rip current... do not attempt to
move directly toward shore. Instead... move sideways across the rip
current until the pull eases. Another method of escape is to let the
rip current pull you seaward 50 to 100 yards... where the force
weakens. Then... swim toward the beach at an angle away from the
current.

[sunupgal]

I live on Clearwater Beach. Could we see swells as high as 12 feet? They must be talking about in the more northern areas...I hope.

[yoda]

Sunupgal, you should see waves of AT LEAST 8 feet, but it really depends what county you live in.

[sunupgal]

Yoda, I live in Pinellas County on the water. My house is 5 feet above sea level, but I am on the innercoastal, about 1/4 mile from the beach. We had 3-4 footers in the channel during Frances, but I didn't think it would be that bad with Ivan being so far away. The seas on the beach never got above about 6 in the gulf. Now I'm nervous about my dock, boat, etc...should I be? How Springfield? I'm from there originally.

[dixiebreeze]

Storm surge would probably be worse from the gulf, depending on tides, etc.

[sunupgal]

Thanks. That makes me feel a better.

[yoda]

Yoda, I live in Pinellas County on the water. My house is 5 feet above sea level, but I am on the innercoastal, about 1/4 mile from the beach. We had 3-4 footers in the channel during Frances, but I didn't think it would be that bad with Ivan being so far away. The seas on the beach never got above about 6 in the gulf. Now I'm nervous about my dock, boat, etc...should I be? How Springfield? I'm from there originally.

Hmmm, well you should see some good waves, but what dixiebreeze is probably right. Springfield is doing very well!! I live in West Springfield, and go to George Mason which is in Fairfax.

[sunupgal]

I went to George Mason too...about 17 years ago.

[MW98GT]

I just noticed the NWS watch when i passed my wx radio and saw the "watch" light on with coastal flood on the display.

[hibiscushouse]

Bay water came over some sea walls in Indian Rocks Beach this afternoon, and there's some minor street flooding on the East side of Gulf Boulevard.
Lots of surfers out in the Gulf.

[Terry]

I arrived on Anna Maria Island (southend of tampa bay) about an hour and a half ago. High tide was several hours ago here. I was also here right after Frances entered the GOM a little north. The waves have come up as high on the beach as they did with Frances. The new moon higher tide hasn't helped. There was flooding along the canals, which empty into T. Bay. That isn't too odd of an occurance, however.

We're currently getting some waves that are 8 - 9 feet and I think they're still building for a few more hours at least. They're even curling.

Although there are surfers the waves just are too sloppy to be good for surfing. Yikes - Ivan is way off shore and he's doing a down right job on building our sea and tearing down our beach!

Some FOX News heli was up and down the beach and then hovered several blocks south of me and over us for a long while. I think they were just filming the angry see and surfers.

Thankful Ivan didn't come our way and praying for those in his target.