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000 

WGUS64 KLIX 082123

FFSNEW

GMZ530-LAZ034>040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068>071-077-080>082-091000-



FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS/BATON ROUGE LA

420 PM CDT MON APR 8 2002



...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...

COASTAL MISSISSIPPI AND EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA THROUGH TONIGHT...



THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN MISSISSIPPI...

WILKINSON...AMITE...PIKE...WALTHALL...PEARL RIVER...HANCOCK...

HARRISON AND JACKSON



THIS WATCH ALSO INCLUDES ALL PARISHES EAST OF THE ATCHAFALAYA RIVER

IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA.



THE FOLLOWING CITIES AND COMMUNITIES ARE INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH...

BATON ROUGE...HAMMOND...BOGALUSA...SLIDELL...COVINGTON...MANDEVILLE

...WOODVILLE...LIBERTY...MCCOMB...TYLERTOWN...NEW ORLEANS METRO

AREA...HOUMA...AND DONALDSONVILLE.



A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT FLOODING IS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH 

AREA...ESPECIALLY NEAR RIVERS...STREAMS...BAYOUS...AND AREAS OF POOR 

DRAINAGE.



A COMBINATION OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND STRONG

HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES WILL MAINTAIN THE STRONG

SOUTHERLY FLOW OF TROPICAL MOISTURE INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI 

VALLEY THROUGH TONIGHT. A SERIES OF UPPER AIR DISTURBANCES WILL 

CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 

ENCOUNTERING A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS. SURFACE BASED THUNDERSTORM 

OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES WILL ACT AS A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR LOCALLY 

HEAVY RAINFALL THROUGH TONIGHT. THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT 

RAIN TONIGHT WILL BE OVER COASTAL MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEAST 

LOUISIANA ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM KENTWOOD TO THIBODAUX 

LOUISIANA. 



RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ACROSS MUCH OF 

SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA SINCE 

MIDNIGHT INCLUDING THE BATON ROUGE METROPOLITAN AREA. LATEST 

SATELLITE AND RADAR OBSERVATIONS INDICATE A LARGE AREA OF MODERATE 

TO OCCASIONAL HEAVY RAIN AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COVERING MOST 

OF SOUTH MISSISSIPPI...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. THIS 

EXTENSIVE AREA OF RAIN MAY PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 INCHES OF 

RAIN THROUGH TONIGHT WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 5 INCHES OR MORE 

POSSIBLE.  



THIS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL FALL ON SOILS WHICH ARE SATURATED FROM 

RAINFALL EARLIER TODAY. AS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE OVER THE 

SAME AREA REPEATEDLY...HEAVY RAINFALL WILL RESULT IN FLOODING OF 

RIVERS...BAYOUS...SMALL STREAMS AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS AS WELL AS 

PONDING OF WATER IN LOW LYING AREAS. RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS WILL BE 

HANDLED IN SEPARATE BULLETINS ISSUED BY THE NEW ORLEANS NATIONAL 

WEATHER SERVICE.



THE FLOOD WATCH MAY HAVE TO BE EXTENDED INTO TUESDAY OVER

PORTIONS OF COASTAL MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA.



IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER LOCATIONS TO

ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN

WATER BEGINS RISING...AND DO NOT DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS

THE ROAD.



STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION

STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR LATER STATEMENTS

AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL FLASH FLOOD 

SITUATION.

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