ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 49A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 12 PM CDT SUN SEP 27 1998 ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE GEORGES CLOSING IN ON THE CENTRAL GULF COAST... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO PANAMA CITY FLORIDA. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNED AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION...AND ADVICE FROM LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE CLOSELY FOLLOWED. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA TO ST. MARKS FLORIDA. A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA. AT 12 PM CDT...1700Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 88.2 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ABOUT 155 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA. GEORGES IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH A GRADUAL DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. THIS WOULD BRING THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LATER TODAY. DO NOT FOCUS ON THE PRECISE LOCATION AND TRACK OF THE CENTER. THE HURRICANES DESTRUCTIVE WINDS ...RAIN...AND STORM SURGE COVER A WIDE SWATH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 110 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GEORGES IS STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE AND COULD REACH CATEGORY THREE STATUS BEFORE LANDFALL. THE NOAA AUTOMATED WEATHER BUOY LOCATED ABOUT 50 MILES NORTH OF THE CENTER REPORTED 59 MPH WIND OVER 8 MINUTES WITH A GUST TO HURRICANE FORCE...74 MPH AT 11 AM CDT. IT HAS ALSO REPORTED WAVE HEIGHTS OF 33 FEET. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 90 MILES FROM THE CENTER ...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES. RAINBANDS OF GEORGES ARE SPREADING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNING AREA AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO AFFECT THE AREA LATER TODAY. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE REPORTED A MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 963 MB...28.44 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... AND UP TO 17 FEET AT THE HEADS OF BAYS...IS POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES. FLOODING RAINS OF 15 TO 25 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS... ARE LIKELY IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS SLOW-MOVING HURRICANE. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE EAST AND NORTHEAST OF THE TRACK OF GEORGES. SMALL CRAFT FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA WESTWARD AND SOUTHWARD ALONG THE COAST OF TEXAS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. SMALL CRAFT ALONG THE WEST COAST OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE. REPEATING THE 12 PM CDT POSITION...28.6 N... 88.2 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 963 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 2 PM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 4 PM CDT. GUINEY NNNN