Rob Williams - Orangejack

Issued at: 2:20 PM EDT 9/4/04, expires at: 4:20 PM EDT 9/4/04

...Hurricane Frances is nearly stationary at 70 miles east of palm beach. The lack of movement will increase the wind and rain damage threat to the area between Palm Beach and Vero Beach. Persistent winds gusts from 80 to 100 mph have been reported on the coast...Storm surge models using the official track forecast indicate that Frances will be making landfall during the time of high tide around midnight tonight between Jupiter Inlet and Cape Canaveral. This would produce maximum storm tides of seven or eight feet near and to the right of where the center makes landfall, most likely brevard and indian river counties. North of cape canaveral, a surge of 3 to 4 feet is likely. Battering waves of very long duration will be of great concern along the beaches. Significant wind and wave damage is likely in the intracoastal waterway...At 2 pm edt the large eye of hurricane frances was located near latitude 26.9 north, longitude 79.0 west or about 70 miles, east of palm beach Florida. Frances has barely moved during the past hour. However the hurricane is expected to resume a west to west-northwest track near 5 mph, 7 km/hr today.