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BULLETIN
HURRICANE GEORGES INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER  50B
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
8 PM CDT SUN SEP 27 1998

...HURRICANE GEORGES CONTINUES TO CLOSING IN ON THE CENTRAL GULF
   COAST...
 
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO
PANAMA CITY FLORIDA.  A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNED AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS.
PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO
COMPLETION.
 
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF PANAMA CITY
FLORIDA TO ST. MARKS FLORIDA.  A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM
WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA.

AT 8 PM CDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 29.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE  88.5 WEST.  THIS POSITION IS ABOUT
30 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND
ABOUT 115 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA. 

THE TRACK OF GEORGES HAD BEEN WOBBLING TOWARD THE NORTH FOR A FEW
HOURS...BUT APPEARS TO HAVE RETURNED TO A NORTH-NORTHWEST HEADING. 
GEORGES IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY AND ERRATICALLY...WITH THE CORE
OF THE HURRICANE REACHING THE COAST SOMETIME ON MONDAY.  DO NOT
FOCUS ON THE PRECISE LOCATION AND TRACK OF THE CENTER.  THE
HURRICANES DESTRUCTIVE WINDS...RAIN...AND STORM SURGE COVER A WIDE
SWATH.
 
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 110 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.  SOME
FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE UNTIL THE CENTER MOVES OVER LAND.
 
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO  70 MILES EAST OF THE
CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185
MILES.  RAINBANDS OF GEORGES ARE SPREADING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE
WARNING AREA.  KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE RECENTLY REPORTED A GUST TO 64
MPH AND THE NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRONT AIRPORT REPORTED A SIMILAR WIND
SPEED.  THE AUTOMATED C-MAN STATION AT SOUTHWEST PASS NEAR THE MOUTH
OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER REPORTED A PEAK GUST TO 79 MPH.
 
THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT
HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE IS 961 MB...28.38 INCHES.
 
STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...
AND UP TO 17 FEET AT THE HEADS OF BAYS...IS POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED
AREA AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES.
 
FLOODING RAINS OF 15 TO 25 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS...
ARE LIKELY IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS SLOW-MOVING HURRICANE.
 
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE EAST AND NORTHEAST OF THE TRACK OF
GEORGES.
 
SMALL CRAFT FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA WESTWARD AND SOUTHWARD
ALONG THE COAST OF TEXAS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT.  SMALL CRAFT ALONG
THE WEST COAST OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT UNTIL
WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE.
 
REPEATING THE 8 PM CDT POSITION...29.32 N... 88.5 W.  MOVEMENT
ERRATIC...BUT MOSTLY NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD AT 7 MPH.  MAXIMUM
SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH.  MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 961 MB.
 
THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT
10 PM CDT.
 
LAWRENCE
 
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