000 WTPZ35 KNHC 190237 TCPEP5 BULLETIN HURRICANE RICK ADVISORY NUMBER 15 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP202009 800 PM PDT SUN OCT 18 2009 ...RICK WEAKENS...BUT STILL A DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE... INTERESTS IN SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA AND WESTERN MAINLAND MEXICO SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE. A HURRICANE WATCH MAY BE REQUIRED FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA EARLY MONDAY. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE. AT 800 PM PDT...0300 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RICK WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 110.3 WEST OR ABOUT 410 MILES ...660 KM...SOUTH OF CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO. RICK IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 13 MPH...20 KM/HR. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST THEN NORTH WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO. RICK IS THEN FORECAST TO ACCELERATE TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST ON TUESDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 145 MPH...230 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. RICK IS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. ALTHOUGH ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...RICK IS STILL EXPECTED TO BE A DANGEROUS HURRICANE AS IT APPROACHES THE SOUTHERN BAJA PENINSULA. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 60 MILES...95 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 936 MB...27.64 INCHES. LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY RICK WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA COAST AND THE WEST CENTRAL COAST OF MEXICO DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...CAUSING POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS. ...SUMMARY OF 800 PM PDT INFORMATION... LOCATION...17.0N 110.3W MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...145 MPH PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTHWEST OR 305 DEGREES AT 13 MPH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...936 MB THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 200 AM PDT. $$ FORECASTER BERG