000 WTNT31 KNHC 220843 TCPAT1 BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM FAY ADVISORY NUMBER 27 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL062008 500 AM EDT FRI AUG 22 2008 ...CENTER OF FAY NEAR GAINESVILLE...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS CONTINUE ALONG PARTS OF THE FLORIDA AND GEORGIA COASTS... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA FROM ARIPEKA NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD TO INDIAN PASS...AND A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF INDIAN PASS WESTWARD TO DESTIN. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SEBASTIAN INLET FLORIDA NORTHWARD TO THE SAVANNAH RIVER AT THE BORDER BETWEEN GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AT 500 AM EDT...0900Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM FAY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.2 WEST OR NEAR GAINESVILLE FLORIDA. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 65 MILES...105 KM... EAST-NORTHEAST OF CEDAR KEY FLORIDA. FAY IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 6 MPH...9 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF FAY IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE NORTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA TODAY...THEN MOVE NEAR OR OVER THE COAST OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH...85 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GRADUAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...BUT FAY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A TROPICAL STORM INTO SATURDAY. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES...220 KM MAINLY TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER. SEVERAL STATIONS IN THE JACKSONVILLE AREA HAVE REPORTED WIND GUSTS OF 55 TO 60 MPH... 90 TO 95 KM/HR...DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 995 MB...29.38 INCHES. GAINESVILLE RECENTLY REPORTED A PRESSURE OF 996.1 MB...29.41 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDES IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA AND GEORGIA TO THE NORTH OF THE CENTER OF FAY. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS ALSO POSSIBLE IN THE WARNING AREA ALONG THE FLORIDA GULF COAST IN AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS. OVER THE NEXT 36 HOURS...FAY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ACROSS THE NORTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA...THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...SOUTHERN GEORGIA...AND SOUTHEASTERN ALABAMA...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES POSSIBLE. ADDITIONAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA IN OUTER RAIN BANDS ASSOCIATED WITH FAY. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN FLORIDA...SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA...AND SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA. REPEATING THE 500 AM EDT POSITION...29.6 N...82.2 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 6 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...50 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...995 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 800 AM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 1100 AM EDT. $$ FORECASTER BEVEN