ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE MITCH ADVISORY NUMBER 18 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 10 PM EST SUN OCT 25 1998 ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE MITCH MOVING WESTWARD... AT 10 PM EST...0300 UTC...A HURRICANE WARNING IS RECOMMENDED FOR HONDURAS FROM LIMON EASTWARD TO THE NICARAGUA BORDER. A HURRICANE WATCH AND A TROPICAL STORM WARNING ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. INTERESTS IN JAMAICA SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION UNTIL WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE. HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE AFFECTING PORTIONS OF THE COLOMBIAN TERRITORIAL ISLANDS LOCATED IN THE NORTHWEST CARIBBEAN SEA. AT 10 PM EST...0300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE MITCH WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.7 WEST OR ABOUT 200 MILES...325 KM...SOUTH OF GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND. MITCH IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 8 MPH ...13 KM/HR...AND A GENERALLY WESTWARD MOTION WITH SOME SLOWING OF THE FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 150 MPH...240 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. MITCH IS A STRONG CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT OR ON MONDAY. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES...110 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 145 MILES...230 KM. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 924 MB...27.29 INCHES. OUTER RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HURRICANE ARE AFFECTING THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND HONDURAS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES...WITH GREATER AMOUNTS OVER HIGHER TERRAIN...ARE POSSIBLE. THIS COULD CAUSE DANGEROUS FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. COASTAL FLOODING FROM ONSHORE WINDS AND HIGH WAVES ARE OCCURRING OVER PORTIONS OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS COASTS...AND WILL SOON BE AFFECTING THE COAST OF HONDURAS IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA. COASTAL FLOODING SHOULD SOON BE SUBSIDING ALONG THE COAST OF JAMAICA. ALL INTERESTS IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS VERY DANGEROUS HURRICANE. REPEATING THE 10 PM EST POSITION...16.4 N... 81.7 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...150 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 924 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1 AM EST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 4 AM EST...MONDAY. PASCH STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT3 AND WMO HEADER WTNT73 KNHC. NNNN