ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM COR BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 51B NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 2 AM CDT MON SEP 28 1998 ...COR TO RPT SECTION ...GEORGES MOVING SLOWLY NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD...WINDS INCREASING ALONG THE COAST... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS 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 AND A HURRICANE WATCH REMAIN IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA TO ST. MARKS FLORIDA. AT 2 AM CDT...0700Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED BY RADAR NEAR LATITUDE 29.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 88.7 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF BILOXI MISSISSIPPI AND ABOUT 80 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA. GEORGES IS MOVING SLOWLY NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD AND ON THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE SHOULD REACH THE COAST LATER TODAY. 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 ARE NEAR 105 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY UNTIL THE CENTER MOVES OVER LAND. DAUPHIN ISLAND JUST REPORTED 68 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 83 MPH. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES. THE NEW ORLEANS WSR-88D RADAR INDICATES THAT HURRICANE FORCE WINDS MAY BE OCCURRING NEAR THE GROUND OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI. THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WAS 964 MB...28.46 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 WEST OF MORGAN 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 2 AM CDT POSITION...29.9 N... 88.7 W. MOVEMENT SLOWLY NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ...105 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 964 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 4 AM CDT. AVILA NNNN