ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 19A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 2 AM AST SUN SEP 20 1998 ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE GEORGES HEADING TOWARD THE LEEWARD ISLANDS... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE LESSER ANTILLES FROM DOMINICA NORTHWARD THROUGH ANGUILLA. A HURRICANE WARNING WILL LIKELY BE EXTENDED WESTWARD FROM ANGUILLA TO PUERTO RICO LATER THIS MORNING. A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE BRITISH AND U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND FOR PUERTO RICO. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MARTINIQUE SOUTHWARD TO ST. LUCIA. AT 2 AM AST...0600Z...THE WELL-DEFINED EYE OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 15.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 56.5 WEST OR ABOUT 330 MILES ...535 KM...EAST OF GUADELOUPE IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. THE HURRICANE IS MOVING JUST NORTH OF DUE WESTWARD AT 18 MPH... 30 KM/HR...AND A WEST TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY. ON THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE LEEWARD ISLANDS LATE TODAY. HOWEVER...WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THESE ISLANDS WILL BEGIN TO DETERIORATE LATER THIS MORNING. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 150 MPH...240 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. GEORGES IS NOW SIMILAR IN STRENGTH AND SIZE TO EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE HUGO WHEN IT HIT THE NORTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN IN 1989. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM... MAINLY TO THE NORTH OF THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES...325 KM. THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY NOAA RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS 939 MB...27.73 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES...LOCALLY HIGHER OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN... ARE LIKELY NEAR THE PATH OF GEORGES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 5 TO 10 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ARE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE HURRICANE INTERACTS WITH THE ISLANDS. REPEATING THE 2 AM AST POSITION...15.9 N... 56.5 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST TO WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...150 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 939 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 5 AM AST. LAWRENCE NNNN