Thursday Forecast / NWS Special Wx Statements:

Good Morning from KRBC Meteorolgist Chris Whited...

***For the latest information on Hurricane Ike, on click on this link: National Hurricane Center

* The KRBC Triple Doppler Radar is active again this morning with scattered showers across a large part of West Central Texas. So far this morning the heaviest rain has been well to our south.

* Just like the last few days overcast conditions and occasional light rain showers will dominate the forecast for today across the area. We will see a break in the pattern on Friday as some sunshine will return before our next chance of rain with Ike as it moves through Texas over the weekend.

* Ike Forecast/Cold Front: First off the latest track from the NHC has shifted the landfall northward overnight... now around Freeport, Texas and just south of Metro Houston & Galveston. The track takes the system then northward toward the DFW metroplex. While the best rain chances and spin-off tornado threat usually occurs on the northeast and east side of an inland tropical system a cold front will be in the vicinity at the same time. Forecast models show moisture from Ike being lifted by the front which could mean a very heavy rain for the Big Country on Sunday as well as the threat of flash flooding. The forecast is changing with every model run so be sure to stay with the KRBC Weather Team on the latest updates.

*** See below for Special Weather Statements from the NWS/San Angelo & NWS/Fort Worth ***

KRBC Triple Doppler Forecast:

Today:
Occasional Showers
Cloudy & Warmer
Highs: 82-85°
Wind: SE 5-10
Rain Chance: 50%
Severe Weather Threat: None

Tonight:
Isolated Showers
Cloudy, Areas of Fog
Lows: 70-72°
Wind: SE 5-15
Rain Chance: 20%
Severe Weather Threat: None

Tomorrow:
Decreasing Clouds
& Warmer
Highs: 88-91°
Wind: SE 5-15
Rain Chance: 20% (AM)
Severe Weather Threat: None

Have a pleasant Thursday...
_______________________________________________________
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
500 AM CDT THU SEP 11 2008

STEPHENS-EASTLAND-COMANCHE-

...HURRICANE IKE WILL SUBSTANTIALLY IMPACT NORTH TEXAS SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...

HURRICANE IKE WILL MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS SATURDAY. THE HURRICANE WILL QUICKLY MOVE NORTH...GENERALLY JUST EAST OF THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR SATURDAY AND EARLY SUNDAY. IKE IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN TO TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH SATURDAY EVENING AS THE SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. HOWEVER...WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL OF 4 TO 6 OR MORE INCHES...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ANTICIPATED.

...WIND IMPACTS...

ALL OF NORTH TEXAS WILL EXPERIENCE STRONG WINDS AS A RESULT OF IKE.
THE REGION EAST OF I-35 AND SOUTH OF I-20 WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE THE
STRONGEST WINDS...WHERE SUSTAINED SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH WITH
GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY. ELSEWHERE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS...SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. HIGH RISE BUILDINGS MAY EXPERIENCE EVEN STRONGER WINDS AT ROOFTOP LEVEL.

RESIDENTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR POWER OUTAGES...TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO SECURE OUTDOOR MATERIALS AND PROPERTY THAT ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO STRONG WINDS...AND DEVELOP A PERSONAL HURRICANE PLAN. FULL GAS TANKS ARE RECOMMENDED AS POWER OUTAGES WILL AFFECT THE ABILITY OF STATIONS TO PUMP GAS. CREATE A STOCKPILE OF CANDLES AND MATCHES...OR FLASHLIGHTS AND BATTERIES AS WELL. THOSE CLOSE TO THE STORM TRACK MAY WANT TO PLACE PLASTIC BAGS IN TRASH CANS AND FILL THEM WITH WATER TO HAVE A RESERVE SUPPLY FOR FLUSHING TOILETS SHOULD POWER OUTAGES AFFECT WATER PUMPING STATIONS. THE TIME TO GET READY IS NOW.

...HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLOODING IMPACTS...

WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL OF 4 TO 6 INCHES IS LIKELY SATURDAY
THROUGH SUNDAY WITH POSSIBLE LOCALIZED AMOUNTS 8 INCHES OR HIGHER. THE WIDESPREAD AND HEAVY NATURE OF THE RAIN WILL LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING AND RAPID RISES ON RIVERS...STREAMS...AND CREEKS. THE TRACK OF IKE WILL BE THE MAIN DETERMINANT OF WHERE AND HOW MUCH RAIN WILL FALL...SO UNCERTAINTY STILL EXISTS. THE HYDROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER ONE THROUGH FIVE DAY PRECIPITATION PROG HINTS THAT AS MUCH AS 10 INCHES TOTAL MAY FALL ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH TEXAS. WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT...DO NOT TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT A BRIDGE COVERED WITH WATER IS STILL DRIVABLE...BRIDGES HAVE WASHED AWAY WITH LESS RAINFALL.

...TORNADO THREAT...

ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF THE
CENTER OF IKE AS IT MOVES ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. GENERALLY LOCATIONS TO THE EAST OF A LINE FROM CAMERON...TO CORSICANA...AND PARIS WILL BE
IN THE MORE FAVORABLE AREA FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

...SUMMARY....

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS FROM IKE WILL DEPEND ON THE EXACT TRACK AND SPEED OF MOVEMENT. THE STRONGEST WINDS AND GREATEST CHANCES FOR VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND TORNADOES TYPICALLY OCCUR TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER OF THE STORM. MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS ON THESE IMPACTS WILL BE PROVIDED IN LATER FORECASTS.

MONITOR FORECASTS FROM YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT
WORTH AND THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER THROUGH NOAA WEATHER RADIO... OUR INTERNET HOMEPAGE...AND LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.