ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM HERMINE ADVISORY NUMBER 8 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 10 AM CDT SAT SEP 19 1998 ...GULF DEPRESSION STRENGTHENS TO A TROPICAL STORM... AT 10 AM CDT...1500 UTC...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA EASTWARD TO PENSACOLA FLORIDA. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO SABINE PASS ON THE TEXAS/LOUISIANA BORDER. ALSO AT 10 AM CDT...1500 UTC...A TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED EAST OF PENSACOLA TO DESTIN FLORIDA. THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH WEST OF SABINE PASS HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE THAT TROPICAL DEPRESSION EIGHT HAS STRENGTHENED INTO TROPICAL STORM HERMINE...PRONOUNCED HER-MEEN. AT 10 AM CDT...1500Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM HERMINE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 90.7 WEST OR ABOUT 150 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA. HERMINE IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 9 MPH AND THIS MOTION WILL BRING THE CENTER OF THE TROPICAL STORM CLOSE TO THE COASTLINE IN THE WARNING AREA LATER TODAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FURTHER STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE TODAY. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES ...165 KM FROM THE CENTER. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1001 MB...29.56 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDAL LEVELS ARE POSSIBLE NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER CROSSES THE COAST. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE LIKELY NEAR THE PATH OF HERMINE. REPEATING THE 10 AM CDT POSITION...27.9 N... 90.7 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 9 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 45 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1001 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1 PM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 4 PM CDT. PASCH STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT3 AND WMO HEADER WTNT73 KNHC. NNNN