ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 24A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 8 AM AST MON SEP 21 1998 ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE GEORGES HEADED FOR VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO...ALL PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION... HURRICANE WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA FROM DOMINICA NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD THROUGH THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. THIS INCLUDES THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO AND ANTIGUA...BARBUDA...NEVIS...ST KITTS...SABA...ST MARTIN...ANGUILLA...GUADELOUPE AND DOMINICA. AT 8 AM AST...1200Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 63.7 WEST OR ABOUT 75 MILES ...120 KM...EAST OF ST CROIX IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 165 MILES...265 KM...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO. GEORGES IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH...28 KM/HR ... AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY. ON THIS TRACK ...THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL MOVE OVER THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO TODAY AND TONIGHT. REMEMBER...IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO FOCUS ON THE PRECISE FORECAST TRACK SINCE THE HURRICANE IS NOT A POINT AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS COVER A WIDE SWATH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 110 MPH...175 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FURTHER FLUCTUATIONS IN WIND SPEED ARE POSSIBLE...BUT GEORGES IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A DANGEROUS HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WINDS HAVE BEEN GUSTING ABOVE 90 MPH AT ST MARTIN FOR THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS. THE CENTER PASSED ABOUT 40 TO 50 MILES TO THE SOUTH OF THAT 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 THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 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 8 AM AST POSITION...17.5 N... 63.7 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 966 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 11 AM AST. LAWRENCE/PASCH/RAPPAPORT NNNN