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Hurricane IRENE


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BULLETIN
HURRICANE IRENE ADVISORY NUMBER  16
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL       AL092011
500 AM EDT WED AUG 24 2011
 
...IRENE CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN AS IT POUNDS THE SOUTHEASTERN
BAHAMAS...WILL LIKELY BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE LATER TODAY...
 
 
SUMMARY OF 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...INFORMATION
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LOCATION...21.6N 72.9W
ABOUT 370 MI...595 KM SE OF NASSAU
ABOUT 955 MI...1535 KM S OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH...175 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 295 DEGREES AT 9 MPH...15 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...962 MB...28.41 INCHES
 
 
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES IN WATCHES AND WARNINGS WITH THIS ADVISORY...
 
THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE NORTH COAST OF HAITI IS
DISCONTINUED.
 
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
 
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
* THE SOUTHEASTERN...CENTRAL...AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS
 
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.
 
 
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...THE EYE OF HURRICANE IRENE WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 21.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 72.9 WEST.  IRENE IS MOVING
TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 9 MPH.  A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE
NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY.  ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE
CORE OF IRENE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS
TODAY AND OVER THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS ON THURSDAY.
 
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 110 MPH...175 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  IRENE IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE.  STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST...AND IRENE WILL LIKELY BECOME A
MAJOR HURRICANE LATER TODAY.
 
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 40 MILES...65 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205
MILES...335 KM.
 
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 962 MB...28.41 INCHES.
 
 
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING OVER PORTIONS OF THE TURKS
AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS.  TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS
TODAY...WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED TONIGHT.  TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS BY LATE
TONIGHT...WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED ON THURSDAY.
 
STORM SURGE...IN AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS NEAR THE CENTER OF
IRENE...AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS
BY AS MUCH AS 7 TO 11 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS OVER THE
CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS...AND BY AS MUCH AS 5 TO 8 FEET
ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AND THE
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.  NEAR THE COAST...THE SURGE WILL BE
ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS WAVES. A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE
WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS
ALONG THE NORTH COAST OF HAITI.
 
RAINFALL...IRENE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL
ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ACROSS PUERTO RICO AND HISPANIOLA.
ISOLATED MAXIMUM STORM TOTAL AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN
ASSOCIATION WITH IRENE.  THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING
FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES IN AREAS OF STEEP TERRAIN.  RAINFALL
ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE BAHAMAS...AND
THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
 
 
NEXT ADVISORY
-------------
NEXT INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY...800 AM EDT.
NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY...1100 AM EDT.
 
$$
FORECASTER PASCH/KIMBERLAIN
 
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