ZCZC MIATCPAT5 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE EARL ADVISORY NUMBER 11 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 10 PM CDT WED SEP 02 1998 ...EARL NEARING THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...BRINGING STRONG WINDS... STORM SURGE FLOODING...VERY HEAVY RAINS...AND TORNADOES... AT 10 PM CDT...0300Z...ALL WARNINGS ARE DISCONTINUED WEST OF THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA STATE LINE. A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA STATE LINE TO THE MOUTH OF THE SUWANNEE RIVER FLORIDA. TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT SOUTH OF THE MOUTH OF THE SUWANNEE RIVER TO THE ANCLOTE KEYS FLORIDA. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT WEST OF THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA STATE LINE TO THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE. AT 10 PM CDT...0300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE EARL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 86.3 WEST OR ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA. EARL IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST-NORTHEAST NEAR 10 MPH AND ON THIS TRACK THE CENTER WILL MOVE INLAND OVER THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA EARLY ON THURSDAY. HOWEVER...HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXTEND OUT WELL AHEAD OF THE CENTER AND ARE CURRENTLY REACHING PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA GULF COAST. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 80 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS IN A SMALL AREA WITHIN STRONG RAINBANDS TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER. LITTLE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS LIKELY BEFORE THE CENTER MOVES INLAND. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE CENTER. AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE JUST REPORTED A MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 986 MB...29.12 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE LIKELY ALONG THE PATH OF THE HURRICANE. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 7 TO 10 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE BATTERING WAVES ARE POSSIBLE NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER CROSSES THE COAST. THIS STORM SURGE FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BE PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS IN THE BIG BEND AREA OF FLORIDA...AND COULD BE LIFE-THREATENING. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN FLORIDA AND SOUTHERN GEORGIA THROUGH TONIGHT. SEVERAL TORNADOES HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPORTED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS. REPEATING THE 10 PM CDT POSITION...29.5 N... 86.3 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...EAST-NORTHEAST NEAR 10 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 80 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 986 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1 AM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 4 AM CDT...THURSDAY. PASCH STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT5 AND WMO HEADER WTNT75 KNHC. NNNN