ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE MITCH ADVISORY NUMBER 25 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 4 PM EST TUE OCT 27 1998 ..MITCH REMAINS A VERY DANGEROUS SLOWLY-MOVING HURRICANE... 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 WATCH 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 4 PM EST...2100Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE MITCH WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 85.8 WEST OR ABOUT 100 MILES...160 KM...NORTHEAST OF LA CEIBO HONDURAS. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 60 MILES...95 KM...NORTH OF THE NEAREST HONDURAS COAST. MITCH IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST SOUTHWEST NEAR 6 MPH...9 KM/HR... AND A WEST-SOUTHWEST TO WESTWARD MOTION AT ABOUT THE SAME SPEED IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 155 MPH...250 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...BUT MITCH IS STILL EXPECTED TO REMAIN A VERY DANGEROUS HURRICANE. A REPORT OF A WIND GUST TO 80 MPH WAS RECENTLY RECEIVED FROM THE ISLAND OF ROATAN NEAR THE HONDURAS COAST. 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 929 MB...27.43 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF UP TO 10 TO 20 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. DANGEROUS COASTAL FLOODING FROM STRONG ON-SHORE WINDS AND BATTERING WAVES IS OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHWEST CARIBBEAN. THE WORST CONDITIONS ARE ALONG THE COAST OF HONDURAS AND SWAN ISLAND...AND OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING DANGEROUS CONDITIONS. REPEATING THE 4 PM EST POSITION...16.8 N... 85.8 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST SOUTHWEST NEAR 6 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 155 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 929 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 7 PM EST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 10 PM EST. LAWRENCE STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT3 AND WMO HEADER WTNT73 KNHC. NNNN