ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE MITCH ADVISORY NUMBER 24 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 10 AM EST TUE OCT 27 1998 ...MITCH REMAINS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE...MOVING SLOWLY... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CARIBBEAN COAST OF HONDURAS...GUATEMALA...BELIZE...THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF MEXICO FROM CABO CATOCHE SOUTHWARD...AND FOR SWAN ISLAND. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE. AT 10 AM EST...1500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE MITCH WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 85.0 WEST OR ABOUT 160 MILES...260 KM...NORTHEAST OF LA CEIBA HONDURAS AND ABOUT 90 MILES...150 KM...NORTH OF THE NEAREST HONDURAS COAST. MITCH IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 6 MPH... 9 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 165 MPH...270 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING MAY OCCUR TODAY OR WEDNESDAY...BUT MITCH IS EXPECTED TO REAIN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 60 MILES... 95 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 917 MB...27.08 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 10 TO 15 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF HONDURAS AND OTHER PARTS OF CENTRAL AMERICA. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE LIKELY IN THE OUTER RAINBANDS AFFECTING THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND COASTAL AREAS ELSEWHERE IN THE NORTHWEST CARIBBEAN. COASTAL FLOODING FROM STRONG ONSHORE WINDS AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES IS OCCURRING OVER THE COAST OF HONDURAS...SWAN ISLAND AND THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. REPEATING THE 10 AM EST POSITION...17.3 N... 85.0 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 6 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...165 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 917 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1 PM EST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 4 PM EST. LAWRENCE STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT3 AND WMO HEADER WTNT73 KNHC. NNNN