ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE MITCH INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 30A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1 AM EST THU OCT 29 1998 ...MITCH REMAINS AT A VIRTUAL STANDSTILL NEAR THE BAY ISLANDS OF HONDURAS... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CARIBBEAN COAST OF HONDURAS...GUATEMALA...BELIZE...AND THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF MEXICO FROM CABO CATOCHE SOUTHWARD...INCLUDING THE OFFSHORE ISLANDS OF THESE AREAS. INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DANGEROUS HURRICANE. AT 1 AM EST...0600Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE MITCH WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 86.0 WEST OR VERY NEAR THE ISLAND OF GUANAJA. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 25 MILES EAST OF THE ISLAND OF ROATAN...AND ABOUT 25 MILES NORTH OF THE COAST OF MAINLAND HONDURAS. MITCH HAS REMAINED NEARLY STATIONARY DURING THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS. LITTLE OVERALL MOTION IS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT...KEEPING THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE OVER OR VERY NEAR THE BAY ISLANDS OF HONDURAS. MITCH IS LIKELY TO REMAIN A THREAT TO THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 100 MPH...160 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS LIKELY WHILE MITCH CONTINUES TO INTERACT WITH LAND. 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 970 MB...28.64 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 15 TO 25 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS... ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF HONDURAS AND OTHER PARTS OF CENTRAL AMERICA. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. STORM TIDES OF 6 TO 9 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ASTRONOMICAL LEVELS ARE POSSIBLE NEAR THE CENTER OF THE HURRICANE...ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES. DANGEROUS COASTAL FLOODING DUE TO STRONG ONSHORE WINDS AND WAVES IS ALSO OCCURRING OVER OTHER COASTAL LOCATIONS IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA. REPEATING THE 1 AM EST POSITION...16.3 N... 86.0 W. MOVEMENT NEARLY STATIONARY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...100 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 970 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 4 AM EST. GUINEY NNNN