ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES ADVISORY NUMBER 25 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 11 AM AST MON SEP 21 1998 ...GEORGES BEGINS POUNDING THE VIRGIN ISLANDS...PUERTO RICO NEXT... ALL PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE NEARING COMPLETION... HURRICANE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE U.S. AND BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS...PUERTO RICO...AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. AT 11 AM AST...1500 UTC...A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE NORTH COAST OF HAITI FROM ST NICOLAS TO THE BORDER OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS HAS ISSUED A HURRICANE WATCH FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. AT 11 AM AST...1500 UTC...HURRICANE WARNINGS ARE DISCONTINUED FOR ALL ISLANDS TO THE EAST OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS...EXCEPT FOR ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA...WHERE COMMUNICATION WITH THE METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE HAS BEEN INTERRUPTED...AND THE FRENCH ISLANDS OF ST. BARTHELEMY AND ST MARTIN. INTERESTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD MAINTAIN PRECAUTIONS UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE. AT 11 AM AST...1500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 64.3 WEST OR ABOUT 35 MILES EAST OF ST. CROIX AND ABOUT 125 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO. GEORGES IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 16 MPH...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE...BRINGING THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE ACROSS THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO TODAY AND TONIGHT. REMEMBER...IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO FOCUS ON THE PRECISE FORECAST TRACK SINCE THE HURRICANE IS NOT A POINT AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS COVER A WIDE SWATH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 110 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 150 MPH ARE POSSIBLE OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. SOME FURTHER FLUCTUATIONS IN WIND SPEED ARE POSSIBLE...BUT GEORGES IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A DANGEROUS HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...MAINLY TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 966 MB...28.53 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES...LOCALLY 20 INCHES OR MORE 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. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN ASSOCIATION WITH GEORGES. REPEATING THE 11 AM AST POSITION...17.7 N... 64.3 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 16 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 966 MB. INTERMEDIATE ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1 PM AST AND 3 PM AST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 5 PM AST. PASCH STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT2 AND WMO HEADER WTNT72 KNHC. NNNN