ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 50A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 6 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. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS 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 6 PM CDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 88.4 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 35 MILES EAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ABOUT 120 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA. THE TRACK OF GEORGES HAS BEEN WOBBLING TOWARD THE NORTH FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS...BUT IS EXPECTED TO RESUME A NORTHWEST OR NORTH- NORTHWEST HEADING NEAR 8 MPH LATER TONIGHT. 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 REMAIN NEAR 110 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY TONIGHT AND GEORGES COULD STILL POSSIBLY BECOME A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES EAST OF THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185 MILES. RAINBANDS OF GEORGES ARE SPREADING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNING AREA. THE AUTOMATED OBSERVING SITE AT DAUPHIN ISLAND ALABAMA RECENTLY HAS BEEN REPORTED A PEAK GUST TO 82 MPH. THE NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRONT AIRPORT RECENTLY REPORTED A SUSTAINED WIND SPEED OF 43 MPH WITH A GUST TO 52 MPH AND THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REPORTED A GUST TO 55 MPH. THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE IS 962 MB...28.41 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 6 PM CDT POSITION...29.2 N... 88.4 W. MOVEMENT TEMPORARILY TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 962 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 8 PM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 10 PM CDT. LAWRENCE NNNN