WCF SECTION SPECIAL BULLETIN #2 – 1200 – 6/06/16
TROPICAL STORM COLIN – WCF SECTION ARES GROUPS ON STANDBY OR PARTIALLY ACTIVATED.
Tropical Storm Colin was located as of the 1100 EDT advisory in the east central Gulf of Mexico about 455 miles west-southeast of Tampa, FL. The storm is moving north-northeast at 16 miles per hour and is currently expected to turn northeast before making landfall in the big bend area of the Florida panhandle sometime this evening. At approximately 1120 EDT, according to NWS Ruskin radar, Pinellas and Pasco Counties were being impacted by heavy rain and there have been two reports on the NI4CE Repeater System of approximately 40 mile per hour winds in the Pinellas County area and Florida DOT has temporarily shut down the Sunshine Skyway Bridge due to the heavy winds. A Tropical Storm Warning is currently in effect for Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties and the rest of the counties in the north end of the NWS Ruskin Coverage Area (CWA). A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the gulf waters from Sarasota County through Pasco County and the rest of the gulf waters in the north end of the NWS Ruskin CWA. An Area Flood Watch continued in effect for all the counties the NWS Ruskin CWA until 2400 this evening.
Several coastal counties ARES units have already partially activated in response to Tropical Storm Colin. All ARES personnel should stay in contact with their local ARRL Emergency Coordinator in their county in case of any potential activation or updates. All SKYWARN certified amateur radio operators should monitor their local SKYWARN net frequencies in case of any SKYWARN nets due to severe weather. All amateur radio operators in the West Central Florida Section are asked to monitor the latest advisories issued by the National Hurricane Center, any Hurricane Local Statements or any other related watches or warnings issued by the National Weather Service office in Ruskin, which covers all counties in the West Central Florida Section.
The website for the National Hurricane Center is http://www.nhc.noaa.gov and the website for the National Weather Service Office in Ruskin (Tampa Bay) is http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tbw.
