ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES ADVISORY NUMBER 24 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 5 AM AST MON SEP 21 1998 ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE GEORGES POUNDING NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS... AT 5 AM AST...0900Z...HURRICANE WARNINGS ARE ISSUED FOR THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. HURRICANE WARNINGS ARE NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA FROM DOMINICA NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD THROUGH THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. THIS INCLUDES THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO AND ANTIGUA...BARBUDA...NEVIS...ST KITTS...SABA...ST MARTIN...ANGUILLA...GUADELOUPE AND DOMINICA. THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND HURRICANE WATCH ARE DISCONTINUED FOR MARTINIQUE AND ST. LUCIA. PREPARATIONS IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. AT 5 AM AST...0900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 63.1 WEST OR ABOUT 45 MILES ...70 KM...SOUTH OF ST MARTIN...AND ABOUT 115 MILES...185 KM...EAST OF ST CROIX IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. GEORGES IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH...28 KM/HR ... AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY. ON THIS TRACK ...THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL MOVE NEAR THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO TODAY AND TONIGHT. REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICAN HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 110 MPH ...175 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FURTHER FLUCTUATIONS IN WIND SPEED ARE POSSIBLE...BUT GEORGES IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A DANGEROUS HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. AN UNOFFICIAL REPORT FROM ANTIGUA GAVE A WIND SPEED OF 94 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 116 MPH..SEVERAL HOURS AGO. THE WINDS AT ST MARTIN INCREASED TO 56 MPH SUSTAINED AT 4 AM AST. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM...MAINLY TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 967 MB...28.56 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES...LOCALLY HIGHER OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN...ARE LIKELY NEAR THE PATH OF GEORGES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 7 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ARE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE HURRICANE INTERACTS WITH THE ISLANDS. REPEATING THE 5 AM AST POSITION...17.4 N... 63.1 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 967 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 8 AM AST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 11 AM AST. LAWRENCE STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT2 AND WMO HEADER WTNT72 KNHC. NNNN