ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES ADVISORY NUMBER 42 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 5 PM EDT FRI SEP 25 1998 ...GEORGES STILL STRENGTHENING...BEGINNING TO PULL AWAY FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS FROM KEY LARGO SOUTHWARD AND FOR THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM LONGBOAT KEY SOUTHWARD. THESE WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE DISCONTINUED TONIGHT. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM NORTH OF LONGBOAT KEY TO BAYPORT. AT 5 PM EDT...2100Z...ALL WARNINGS ALONG THE FLORIDA EAST COAST NORTH OF KEY LARGO ARE DISCONTINUED. PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE MAINTAINED AND SMALL CRAFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT IN THIS AREA UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE. A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF COAST FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO ST. MARKS FLORIDA. A HURRICANE WARNING COULD BE REQUIRED FOR A PORTION OF THIS AREA LATER THIS EVENING OR EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. A HURRICANE WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR CUBA FROM MATANZAS WESTWARD TO PINAR DEL RIO. AT 5 PM EDT...2100Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.9 WEST OR JUST NORTH OF THE DRY TORTUGAS ABOUT 75 MILES...120 KM...WEST-NORTHWEST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA. GEORGES HAS BEEN MOVING TOWARD THE WEST TO WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH...22 KM/HR...OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS BUT A NORTHWESTWARD HEADING IS EXPECTED TO RESUME LATER THIS EVENING. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH...165 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. 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 EAST. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE ESTIMATED FROM AN OBSERVATION AT THE DRY TORTUGAS IS 975 MB...28.79 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES...LOCALLY 20 INCHES OR MORE OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN OF CUBA ARE LIKELY. THESE RAINS COULD PRODUCE LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. TOTALS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE FLORIDA WEST COAST AND KEYS. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 7 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNING AREA...BUT WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE TONIGHT. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. REPEATING THE 5 PM EDT POSITION...24.9 N... 82.9 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD ...WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...105 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 975 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 8 PM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 11 PM EDT. RAPPAPORT STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT2 AND WMO HEADER WTNT72 KNHC. NNNN