Tropical Storm ERIKA
ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM ERIKA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 7A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 6 AM CDT SAT AUG 16 2003 ...ERIKA MOVING INLAND NEAR TEXAS/MEXICO BORDER... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM BROWNSVILLE TO BAFFIN BAY TEXAS AND ALSO FROM LA PESCA MEXICO NORTHWARD TO THE U.S. BORDER. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NORTH OF BAFFIN BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. THESE WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE LOWERED LATER THIS MORNING. AT 6 AM CDT...1100Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ERIKA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 97.4 WEST. THIS POSITION IS INLAND OVER EXTREME NORTHEAST MEXICO AND ABOUT 35 MILES...60 KM...SOUTH OF BROWNSVILLE TEXAS. ERIKA IS MOVING JUST SOUTH OF DUE WESTWARD NEAR 18 MPH...30 KM/HR...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO BRING THE STORM FURTHER INLAND TODAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MPH...110 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ERIKA IS VERY CLOSE TO HURRICANE STRENGTH AND ALL PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE CONTINUED UNTIL THE STORM MOVES WELL INLAND AND BEGINS TO WEAKEN LATER THIS MORNING. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES ...185 KM FROM THE CENTER...MAINLY OVER THE WATER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. A REPORT FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE INDICATED THAT THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE DROPPED TO 987 MB...29.14 INCHES...JUST PRIOR TO LANDFALL. A STORM SURGE WATER LEVEL OF 2.4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE WAS RECENTLY REPORTED FROM PORT ISABEL TEXAS. STORM SURGE FLOOD LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK SHORTLY AND SHOULD THEN BEGIN TO SUBSIDE. RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR THE PATH OF ERIKA. THIS COULD CAUSE FLASH FLOODS...AND MUDSLIDES IN AREAS NEAR ELEVATED TERRAIN. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED TORNADOES ALONG THE MIDDLE AND LOWER TEXAS COAST THIS MORNING. REPEATING THE 6 AM CDT POSITION...25.4 N... 97.4 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 18 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 70 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 987 MB. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 8 AM CDT AND A COMPLETE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED AT 10 AM CDT. FORECASTER LAWRENCE NNNN