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BULLETIN
HURRICANE MITCH INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER  24A
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1 PM EST TUE OCT 27 1998
 
...MITCH WEAKENS BUT REMAINS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS 
   SLOWLY-MOVING HURRICANE...

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CARIBBEAN COAST OF
HONDURAS...GUATEMALA...BELIZE...THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF MEXICO FROM
CABO CATOCHE SOUTHWARD...AND FOR SWAN ISLAND.  THE TROPICAL STORM
WARNING FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS IS CHANGED TO A TROPICAL STORM WATCH.

INTERESTS IN THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR
THE PROGRESS OF THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE.
 
AT 1 PM EST...1800Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE MITCH WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 16.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE  85.4 WEST OR ABOUT 125 MILES...240
KM...NORTHEAST OF LA CEIBA HONDURAS AND ABOUT 80 MILES...150 KM...
NORTH OF THE NEAREST HONDURAS COAST.
 
MITCH IS MOVING SLOWLY...TOWARD THE WEST-SOUTHWEST NEAR  6 MPH...9
KM/HR ...AND A SLOW WEST-SOUTHWEST TO WESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. 
 
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 155 MPH...250
KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.  THIS IS A CATEGORY FOUR ON THE
SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE.  SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING MAY OCCUR
TODAY OR WEDNESDAY...BUT MITCH IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN AN EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS HURRICANE.
 
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO  60 MILES... 95 KM...
FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 175 MILES...280 KM.
 
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS  928 MB...27.40 INCHES.
 
RAINFALL TOTALS OF 10 TO 15 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE MOUNTAINS
OF HONDURAS AND OTHER PARTS OF CENTRAL AMERICA.  THESE RAINS COULD
CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES.
 
DANGEROUS COASTAL FLOODING FROM STRONG ONSHORE WINDS AND DANGEROUS
BATTERING WAVES IS OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHWEST CARIBBEAN. 
THE COAST OF HONDURAS...SWAN ISLAND AND THE CAYMAN ISLANDS...AND
ELSEWHERE ALONG AS WELL AS ELSEWHERE IN THE NORTHWEST CARIBBEAN AREA
  
REPEATING THE 1 PM EST POSITION...16.9 N... 85.4 W.  MOVEMENT TOWARD
... WEST-SOUTHWEST NEAR  6 MPH.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...155 MPH. 
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 928 MB.
 
THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT
4 PM EST.
 
LAWRENCE

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