ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE MITCH INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 19A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 7 AM EST MON OCT 26 1998 ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE MITCH BECOMES STRONGEST HURRICANE OF THE SEASON... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR HONDURAS FROM LIMON EASTWARD TO THE NICARAGUA BORDER...AND FOR SWAN ISLAND. A HURRICANE WATCH AND A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. AT 7 AM EST...1200Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE MITCH WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.6 WEST OR ABOUT 105 MILES...170 KM...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF SWAN ISLAND. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 110 MILES...175 KM...NORTH-NORTHEAST OF CABO GRACIAS A DIOS ON THE HONDURAS/NICARAGUA BORDER. MITCH IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 7 MPH...11 KM/HR...AND A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE ESTIMATED NEAR 155 MPH...250 KM/HR... WITH HIGHER GUSTS. MITCH IS A BORDERLINE CATEGORY FOUR/ CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE POSSIBLE TODAY...BUT MITCH IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A VERY DANGEROUS HURRICANE CAPABLE OF CAUSING EXTREME DAMAGE. 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. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 923 MB...27.26 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 LIFE-THREATENING 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. ALL INTERESTS IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS VERY DANGEROUS HURRICANE. REPEATING THE 7 AM EST POSITION...16.6 N...82.6 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 7 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...155 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...923 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 10 AM EST. MAYFIELD NNNN