ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES ADVISORY NUMBER 17 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 11 AM AST SAT SEP 19 1998 ...GEORGES REACHES 125 MPH WINDS...RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WILL CONFIRM... AT 11 AM AST...1500 UTC...A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE BRITISH AND U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW EFFECT FOR THE LESSER ANTILLES FROM ST. LUCIA NORTHWARD AND THEN NORTHWESTWARD TO THE BRITISH AND U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. HURRICANE WARNING COULD BE REQUIRED FOR A PORTION OF THIS AREA LATER TODAY. A HURRICANE WATCH MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED WESTWARD. AT 11 AM AST...1500Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 15.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 52.8 WEST OR ABOUT 540 MILES... 875 KM...EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES. GEORGES IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 18 MPH...30 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TROUGH SUNDAY. ON THIS TRACK...THE HURRICANE WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE LESSER ANTILLES ON SUNDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 125 MPH...205 KM/HR ...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WILL BE IN THE EYE OF GEORGES THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL CONFIRM THE MAXIMUM INTENSITY ESTIMATED BY SATELLITE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES... 75 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES...325 KM. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 948 MB...27.99 INCHES. REPEATING THE 11 AM AST POSITION...15.0 N... 52.8 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 18 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...125 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 948 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 2 PM AST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 5 PM AST. AVILA STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT2 AND WMO HEADER WTNT72 KNHC. NNNN