ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 23A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 2 AM AST MON SEP 21 1998 ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE GEORGES POUNDING NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS... HURRICANE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA FROM DOMINICA NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD TO PUERTO RICO. A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH REMAIN IN EFFECT FROM MARTINIQUE SOUTHWARD TO ST. LUCIA. A REMINDER: A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED. ELSEWHERE IN THE WARNING AREA...PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. AT 2 AM AST...0600Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 62.1 WEST OR ABOUT 15 MILES ...24 KM...WEST-SOUTHWEST OF ANTIGUA IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. GEORGES IS MOVING WEST-NORTHWESTWARD NEAR 16 MPH...26 KM/HR. ON THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE LEEWARD ISLANDS THIS MORNING...AND MOVE NEAR THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. REMEMBER: IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO FOCUS ON THE PRECISE TRACK OF THE CENTER SINCE THE HURRICANE IS NOT A POINT AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS COVER A WIDE SWATH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GEORGES IS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN WIND SPEED ARE POSSIBLE... BUT GEORGES IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A DANGEROUS HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS OR SO. A SUSTAINED WIND SPEED NEAR 70 MPH...113 KM/H...WAS REPORTED FROM THE ISLAND OF DESIRADE THREE HOURS AGO...WHEN THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 50 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE ISLAND. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM MAINLY TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OVER ELEVATED TERRAIN ARE POSSIBLE EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS NEAR 966 MB...28.53 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES...LOCALLY HIGHER OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN...ARE LIKELY NEAR THE PATH OF GEORGES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 7 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...17.0 N... 62.1 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 16 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 966 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 5 AM AST. LAWRENCE NNNN