ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 42B NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 3 PM EDT FRI SEP 25 1998 ...HURRICANE FORCE WINDS CONTINUE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH FLORIDA FROM FLORIDA CITY ON THE EAST COAST SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE FLORIDA KEYS...AND FOR THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM LONGBOAT KEY SOUTHWARD. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM NORTH OF FLORIDA CITY TO STUART...AND FOR THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM NORTH OF LONGBOAT KEY TO BAYPORT. A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF COAST FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO ST. MARKS FLORIDA. A HURRICANE WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR CUBA FROM MATANZAS WESTWARD TO PINAR DEL RIO. AT 3 PM EDT...1900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.5 WEST OR ABOUT 50 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA. GEORGES HAS BEEN MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH...22 KM/HR...FOR THE PAST TWO HOURS...BUT A NORTHWEST HEADING IS EXPECTED TO RESUME AND THEN CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. ON THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL BEGIN TO RECEDE FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS... BUT STRONG RAINBANDS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD OVER THE KEYS INTO TONIGHT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH...165 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THE AUTOMATED REPORTING SITE ON SOMBRERO KEY...LOCATED ABOUT 35 MILES EAST OF KEY WEST...CONTINUES TO REPORT SUSTAINED HURRICANE FORCE WINDS. A GUST TO 95 MPH RECENTLY OCCURRED AT MARCO ISLAND. SLOW STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 80 MILES...130 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM...MAINLY TO THE EAST. THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED FROM RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS 979 MB...28.91 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES...LOCALLY 20 INCHES OR MORE OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN OF CUBA...ARE LIKELY NEAR THE PATH OF GEORGES. THESE RAINS COULD PRODUCE LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 7 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNING AREA...BUT WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE OVER THE KEYS TONIGHT. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. REPEATING THE 3 PM EDT POSITION...24.7 N... 82.5 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD ...WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...105 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 981 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 5 PM EDT. RAPPAPORT NNNN