ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES ADVISORY NUMBER 50 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 4 PM CDT SUN SEP 27 1998 ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE GEORGES CLOSING IN ON THE CENTRAL GULF COAST... 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 IS 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 PM CDT...2100Z...THE HURRICANE WATCH FROM EAST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA TO ST. MARKS FLORIDA IS DISCONTINUED. AT 4 PM CDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 88.5 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 40 MILES EAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ABOUT 125 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA. THE TRACK OF GEORGES IS WOBBLING A LITTLE ALONG A NORTHWEST HEADING NEAR 8 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT BRINGING THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE NEARER TO THE COAST. DO NOT FOCUS ON THE PRECISE LOCATION AND TRACK OF THE CENTER. THE HURRICANES DESTRUCTIVE WINDS...RAIN...AND STORM SURGE COVER A WIDE SWATH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 110 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY BEFORE LANDFALL AND GEORGES COULD STILL BECOME A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES EAST OF THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185 MILES. RAINBANDS OF GEORGES ARE SPREADING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WARNING AREA. THE AUTOMATED OBSERVING SITE AT DAUPHIN ISLAND ALABAMA RECENTLY REPORTED A 58 MPH WIND SUSTAINED OVER TWO MINUTES WITH A PEAK GUST TO HURRICANE FORCE...74 MPH. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN THE WARNING AREA THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE REPORTED A MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 961 MB...28.38 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... AND UP TO 17 FEET AT THE HEADS OF BAYS...IS POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES. FLOODING RAINS OF 15 TO 25 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS... ARE LIKELY IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS SLOW-MOVING HURRICANE. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE EAST AND NORTHEAST OF THE TRACK OF GEORGES. SMALL CRAFT FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA WESTWARD AND SOUTHWARD ALONG THE COAST OF 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 PM CDT POSITION...29.0 N... 88.5 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 961 MB. INTERMEDIATE ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 6 PM CDT AND 8 PM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 10 PM CDT. GUINEY STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT2 AND WMO HEADER WTNT72 KNHC. NNNN