ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 52B NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 8 AM CDT MON SEP 28 1998 ...GEORGES CONTINUES TO POUND THE COAST... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO PANAMA CITY FLORIDA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH REMAIN IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA TO ST. MARKS FLORIDA. AT 8 AM CDT...1300Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED BY RADAR AND AIRCRAFT NEAR LATITUDE 30.4 NORTH... LONGITUDE 89.0 WEST...VERY NEAR GULFPORT MISSISSIPPI. GEORGES IS DRIFTING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AND THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE FURTHER INLAND OVER SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 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 100 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME WEAKENING IS LIKELY TODAY. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 75 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES. AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE REPORTED A CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 965 MB...28.50 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 10 TO 12 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... AND UP TO 15 FEET AT THE HEADS OF BAYS...IS POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES. FLOODING RAINS TOTALLING 20 TO 30 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS...ARE LIKELY IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS SLOW-MOVING HURRICANE. RADAR INDICATES THAT RAINFALL TOTALS OF 17 INCHES HAVE ALREADY OCCURED OVER PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHERN ALABAMA AND THE EXTREME WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE EAST AND NORTHEAST OF THE TRACK OF GEORGES. SMALL CRAFT FROM WEST OF MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA WESTWARD TO HIGH ISLAND TEXAS AND ALONG THE WEST COAST OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA FROM EAST OF ST. MARK TO TARPON SPRINGS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. REPEATING THE 8 AM CDT POSITION...30.4 N... 89.0 W. MOVEMENT... DRIFTING NORTHWEST. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...100 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 965 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 10 AM CDT. PASCH NNNN