ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM COR BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES ADVISORY NUMBER 40 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 5 AM EDT FRI SEP 25 1998 ...COR TO ADVISORY NUMBER ...GEORGES APPROACHING THE FLORIDA KEYS WITH 100 MPH WINDS... PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM DEERFIELD BEACH SOUTHWARD INCLUDING THE FLORIDA KEYS AND FOR THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM LONGBOAT KEY SOUTHWARD. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM JUST NORTH OF DEERFIELD BEACH...AT BOCA RATON...TO STUART. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA WEST COAST NORTH OF LONGBOAT KEY TO BAYPORT. TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST COAST WILL LIKELY BE EXTENDED NORTHWARD LATER TODAY. A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM MATANZAS WESTWARD TO PINAR DEL RIO...CUBA. A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS. ALL INTERESTS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO FROM LOUISIANA EASTWARD SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS HURRICANE. AT 5 AM EDT...0900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 23.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 80.7 WEST OR ABOUT 85 MILES ...135 KM...SOUTHEAST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA. GEORGES IS MOVING BETWEEN WEST-NORTHWEST AND NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH ...22 KM/HR...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS BRINGING THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS TODAY. DO NOT FOCUS ON THE PRECISE LOCATION AND TRACK OF THE CENTER. THE HURRICANES DESTRUCTIVE WINDS AND RAIN COVER A WIDE SWATH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 100 MPH...160 KM/HR..IN A SMALL AREA EAST OF THE CENTER...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FOWEY ROCKS JUST REPORTED GUSTS TO 73 MPH...117 KM/HR. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES... 75 KM... MAINLY TO EAST OF THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER. LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY A NOAA RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WAS 985 MB...29.09 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES...LOCALLY 20 INCHES OR MORE OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN OF CUBA...ARE LIKELY NEAR THE PATH OF GEORGES. THESE RAINS COULD PRODUCE LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST IN THE WARNING AREA. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. REPEATING THE 5 AM EDT POSITION...23.8 N... 80.7 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...100 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 985 MB. INTERMEDIATE ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 7 AM EDT AND 9 AM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 11 AM EDT. AVILA STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT2 AND WMO HEADER WTNT72 KNHC. NNNN