ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE MITCH ADVISORY NUMBER 28 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 10 AM EST WED OCT 28 1998 ...MITCH POUNDING RELENTLESSLY THE COAST AND ISLANDS OF HONDURAS... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CARIBBEAN COAST OF HONDURAS...GUATEMALA...BELIZE...THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF MEXICO FROM CABO CATOCHE SOUTHWARD...INCLUDING THE OFFSHORE ISLANDS OF THESE AREAS. 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 VERY DANGEROUS HURRICANE. AT 10 AM EST...1500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE MITCH WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 85.6 WEST OR ABOUT 25 MILES...35 KM...EAST OF THE ISLAND OF GUANAJA...AND ABOUT 30 MILES...50 KM...NORTH OF THE COAST OF MAINLAND HONDURAS. MITCH HAS BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY THIS MORNING AND LITTLE MOTION IS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS MEANS THAT THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL CONTINUE TO BATTER THE COAST AND NEARBY ISLANDS OF HONDURAS TODAY AND THAT MITCH IS LIKELY TO REMAIN A THREAT TO THE ENTIRE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS...OR LONGER. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...195 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. MITCH REMAINS A DANGEROUS HURRICANE...CATEGORY 3 ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE WHILE MITCH CONTINUES TO INTERACT WITH LAND. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES...165 KM... MAINLY NORTHEAST FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 948 MB...27.99 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 15 TO 25 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS... 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 ONSHORE WINDS AND LARGE BATTERING WAVES IS OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHWEST CARIBBEAN. THE WORST CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING ALONG THE COAST OF HONDURAS AND THE OFFSHORE ISLANDS. OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING DANGEROUS CONDITIONS. REPEATING THE 10 AM EST POSITION...16.4 N... 85.6 W. MOVEMENT ...NEARLY STATIONARY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...120 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 948 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. RAPPAPORT STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT3 AND WMO HEADER WTNT73 KNHC. NNNN