ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES ADVISORY NUMBER 48 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 4 AM CDT SUN SEP 27 1998 ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE GEORGES APPROACHING THE WARNING AREA...BE PREPARED... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO PANAMA CITY FLORIDA. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNED AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA TO ST. MARKS FLORIDA. A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA. AT 4 AM CDT...0900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 87.6 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 110 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPI RIVER AND ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS. GEORGES IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY WITH SOME DCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. OUTER BANDS SHOULD GRADUALLY BEGIN TO SPREAD ACROSS THE COASTAL SECTIONS WITHIN THE WARNING AREA SOON AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO AFFECT THE AREA LATER TODAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 110 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GEORGES IS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE EXPECTED BEFORE LANDFALL. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES MAINLY TO THE EAST. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 970 MB...28.64 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 10 TO 15 FEET...UP TO 17 FEET AT THE HEADS OF BAYS...ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES. FLOODING RAINS ARE LIKELY IN ASSOCIATION WITH GEORGES AND WILL BECOME PARTICULARLY SEVERE IF GEORGES FORWARD MOTION DECREASES NEAR LANDFALL AS IS NOW FORECAST. SMALL CRAFT FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY TO HIGH ISLAND TEXAS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. SMALL CRAFT ALONG THE WEST COAST OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE. REPEATING THE 4 AM CDT POSITION...28.1 N... 87.6 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 970 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 7 AM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 10 AM CDT. AVILA STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT2 AND WMO HEADER WTNT72 KNHC. NNNN