Friday Morning Forecast Update:

Good Morning from KRBC Meteorolgist Chris Whited...

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

KRBC Triple Doppler Forecast:

Today:
Mostly Cloudy
Scattered Showers
Highs: 86-89°
Wind: SE 5-10
Rain Chance: 30%
Severe Weather Threat: None

Tonight:
Mostly Cloudy
Isolated Showers
Lows: 68-72°
Wind: NE 5-15
Rain Chance: 20%
Severe Weather Threat: None

Tomorrow:
Cloudy & Breezy
Scattered Showers & Storms
Highs: 83-86°
Wind: NE 10-20
Rain Chance: 50%
Severe Weather Threat: None
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SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
329 PM CDT THU SEP 11 2008

SOME HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND ACROSS PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...AS HURRICANE IKE IS FORECAST TO TRACK INTO TEXAS...

THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IKE IS CURRENTLY IN THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO...OR ABOUT 240 MILES SOUTH OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THIS AFTERNOON. IKE IS MOVING TO THE WEST- NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH...AND IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE TEXAS GULF COAST SOMETIME EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. AS IKE WEAKENS AFTER MOVING INLAND...THE REMNANTS ARE EXPECTED TRACK NORTH ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST TEXAS.

THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE FORECAST TRACK OF IKE...AFTER
LANDFALL...HAS SHIFTED THE TRACK FURTHER EAST ACROSS CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL TEXAS. WITH THIS TREND...IT APPEARS THAT THERE WOULD BE LESS OF A THREAT FOR HEAVY AND EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS OUR REGION. FOR WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...THE BEST CHANCE OF RAINFALL WITH
IKE WILL BE ACROSS THE AREA ROUGHLY EAST OF A LINE FROM
THROCKMORTON TO COLEMAN TO JUNCTION...FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SOME HEAVY RAINFALL IS STILL POSSIBLE.

THE GROUND HAS BECOME SATURATED ACROSS AREAS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS FROM RECENT RAINFALL...AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD BRING A THREAT FOR FLOODING.

RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... LOCAL MEDIA...OR INTERNET OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION AND FORECAST UPDATES WITH HURRICANE IKE. FOR THE LATEST NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER FORECAST RACK ...GO TO http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.
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SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1052 AM CDT THU SEP 11 2008

...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 ALONG AND EAST OF A BRYAN TO PALESTINE TO TEXARKANA LINE. IKE IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN TO TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH SATURDAY EVENING AS THE SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS. WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL OF 4 OR MORE
INCHES...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE EXPECTED.

...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 PREPAREDNESS 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 IN EXCESS OF 4 INCHES IS LIKELY SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY OVER EASTERN SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS. 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. WEST OF THE STORM TRACK...WIDESPREAD RAINFALL AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 1 TO 4 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. AVOID DRIVING IF POSSIBLE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.

...TORNADO THREAT...

ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER OF IKE AS IT MOVES ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. 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.