ZCZC MIATCPAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN HURRICANE GEORGES ADVISORY NUMBER 23 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 11 PM AST SUN SEP 20 1998 ...DANGEROUS HURRICANE GEORGES BEARING DOWN ON THE LEEWARD ISLANDS... HURRICANE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN SEA FROM DOMINICA NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD TO PUERTO RICO. A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH REMAIN IN EFFECT FROM MARTINIQUE SOUTHWARD TO ST. LUCIA. A REMINDER: A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED. ELSEWHERE IN THE WARNING AREA...PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. AT 11 PM AST...0300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GEORGES WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 61.4 WEST OR ABOUT 30 MILES ...45 KM...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF ANTIGUA IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. GEORGES IS MOVING WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 16 MPH...26 KM/HR. THIS MOTION IS EXPECT TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE LEEWARD ISLANDS TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY...AND CONTINUE TOWARD THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO DURING THE DAY MONDAY. REMEMBER: IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO FOCUS ON THE PRECISE TRACK SINCE THE HURRICANE IS NOT A POINT AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS COVER A WIDE SWATH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GEORGES IS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN WIND SPEED ARE POSSIBLE... BUT GEORGES IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A DANGEROUS HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS OR SO. GUSTS TO 88 MPH...142 KM/H...HAVE BEEN REPORTED TWO HOURS AGO ON THE ISLAND OF DESIRADE. WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE OVER THE LEEWARD ISLANDS DURING THE NIGHT. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM MAINLY TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OVER ELEVATED TERRAIN ARE POSSIBLE EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE RECENTLY REPORTED A MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 966 MB...28.53 INCHES. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES...LOCALLY HIGHER OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN...ARE LIKELY NEAR THE PATH OF GEORGES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 7 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ARE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE HURRICANE INTERACTS WITH THE ISLANDS. REPEATING THE 11 PM AST POSITION...16.9 N... 61.4 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 16 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 966 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 2 AM AST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 5 AM AST...MONDAY. GUINEY STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT2 AND WMO HEADER WTNT72 KNHC. NNNN