ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE MITCH INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 18A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1 AM EST MON OCT 26 1998 ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE MITCH MOVING WESTWARD... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR HONDURAS FROM LIMON EASTWARD TO THE NICARAGUA BORDER...AND FOR SWAN ISLAND. A HURRICANE WATCH AND A TROPICAL STORM WARNING ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. AT 1 AM EST...0600Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE MITCH WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.0 WEST OR ABOUT 120 MILES...195 KM...NORTHEAST OF CABO GRACIAS A DIOS ON THE HONDURAS/NICARAGUA BORDER. MITCH IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 8 MPH ...13 KM/HR...AND A GENERAL WESTWARD MOTION WITH SOME SLOWING OF THE FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 150 MPH...240 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. MITCH IS A STRONG CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE TODAY. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES...110 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 145 MILES...230 KM. AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT RECENTLY REPORTED A MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 922 MB...27.23 INCHES. OUTER RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HURRICANE ARE AFFECTING THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND HONDURAS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES...WITH GREATER AMOUNTS OVER HIGHER TERRAIN...ARE POSSIBLE. THIS COULD CAUSE DANGEROUS FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. COASTAL FLOODING FROM ONSHORE WINDS AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ARE OCCURRING OVER PORTIONS OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS...SWAN ISLAND AND THE COAST OF HONDURAS IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA. ALL INTERESTS IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS VERY DANGEROUS HURRICANE. REPEATING THE 1 AM EST POSITION...16.3 N... 82.0 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...150 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 922 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 4 AM EST. PASCH/MAYFIELD NNNN