WHUS42 KTBW 271522

CFWTBW

FLZ050-051-055-060-272100-



COASTAL FLOOD STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL

1118 AM EDT MON SEP 27 2004



...HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM EDT THIS

AFTERNOON...



THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A HIGH SURF

ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING COASTAL COUNTIES...



MANATEE...PINELLAS...SARASOTA AND HILLSBOROUGH.



INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BRADENTON...BRADENTON BEACH...CLEARWATER...

CLEARWATER BEACH...SARASOTA...TAMPA AND VENICE.



GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS AND HIGH SURF CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY

TONIGHT AS THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE JEANNE EXIT THE AREA. REPORTS OF

SURF IN THE 3 TO 5 FOOT RANGE ALONG WITH CHOPPY CONDITIONS CONTINUE

TO BE REPORTED ALONG THE GULF COASTAL AREA BEACHES FROM THE TAMPA BAY

AREA SOUTH LATE THIS MORNING. 



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.



STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER

DETAILS OR UPDATES.



&&



FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT

HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (LOWER CASE)



$$



JCM