ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES ADVISORY NUMBER 52 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 4 AM CDT MON SEP 28 1998 ...EYE OF HURRICANE GEORGES MAKING LANDFALL ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI COAST...WIND GUST TO 126 MPH IN BILOXI... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS 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 REMAIN IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA TO ST. MARKS FLORIDA. AT 4 AM CDT...0900Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED BY RADAR...PLANE AND SATELLITE NEAR LATITUDE 30.2 NORTH... LONGITUDE 88.8 WEST...VERY NEAR BILOXI MISSISSIPPI. GEORGES IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NORTHWEST NEAR 6 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY WITH A GRADUAL DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. ON THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF GEORGES WILL BE CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI COAST DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. 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 ARE NEAR 105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN INTENSITY IS LIKELY BEFORE LANDFALL. BILOXI MISSISSIPPI JUST REPORTED A GUST TO 126 MPH. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER. LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WAS 962 MB...28.41 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 WEST OF MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA WESTWARD TO HIGH ISLAND TEXAS AND ALONG THE WEST COAST OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA FROM EAST OF ST. MARK TO TARPON SPRINGS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. REPEATING THE 4 AM CDT POSITION...30.2 N... 88.8 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTH NORTHWEST NEAR 6 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...105 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 962 MB. INTERMEDIATE ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 6 AM CDT AND 8 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