ZCZC MIATCPAT5 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE EARL ADVISORY NUMBER 9 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 10 AM CDT WED SEP 02 1998 ...EARL BECOMES A HURRICANE...THE THIRD OF THE SEASON... HURRICANE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FROM PASCAGOULA MISSISSIPPI TO THE SUWANNEE RIVER FLORIDA. TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FROM SOUTH OF SUWANNEE RIVER TO ANCLOTE KEYS FLORIDA. AT 10 AM CDT...1500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE EARL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 87.9 WEST OR ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DESTIN FLORIDA. EARL IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 14 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY. ON THIS TRACK THE CENTER WILL REACH THE COAST WITHIN THE WARNING AREA TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THIS IS A BROAD AND DIFFUSE CENTER AND HURRICANE CONDITIONS...MAINLY TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF THE CENTER...COULD REACH THE WARNING AREA WELL BEFORE THE CENTER CROSSES THE COAST TONIGHT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 80 MPH TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY BEFORE THE CENTER REACHES THE COAST. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER. LATEST MINIMUM PRESSURE REPORTED BY A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WAS 990 MB...29.23 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE LIKELY ALONG THE PAST OF THE HURRICANE. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 5 TO 7 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ARE POSSIBLE NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER CROSSES THE COAST. REPEATING THE 10 AM CDT POSITION...28.8 N... 87.9 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHEAST NEAR 14 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 80 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...990 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1 PM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 4 PM CDT. AVILA STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT5 AND WMO HEADER WTNT75 KNHC. NNNN