Hurricane FRANCES
ZCZC MIATCDAT1 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM TROPICAL STORM FRANCES DISCUSSION NUMBER 51 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 11 AM EDT MON SEP 06 2004 DATA FROM THE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE...SATELLITE IMAGES AND RADAR INDICATE THAT FRACNES HAS NOT CHANGED IN STRUCTURE AND STILL CONSISTS OF A LARGE CIRCULATION WITHOUT AN INNER CORE. INITIAL INTENSITY IS KEPT AT 55 KNOTS...BUT IT WILL NOT TAKE MUCH FOR THE CYCLONE TO INCREASE 10 MORE KNOTS AND BECOME A HURRICANE BEFORE LANDFALL. THEREFORE...A HURRICANE WARNING HAS BEEN KEPT FOR A PORTION OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. THE OVERALL CIRCULATION IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST ABOUT 7 KNOTS. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL THE LARGE CENTER OF CIRCULATION MOVES INLAND LATER TODAY. FRANCES SHOULD WEAKEN AFTER LANDFALL AND MOVE TOWARD THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST UNTIL ABSORBED A FRONT IN 96 HOURS. FRANCES IS A LARGE CYCLONE AND WE MUST EMPHASIZE THAT THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE CENTER. FORECASTER AVILA FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS INITIAL 06/1500Z 29.5N 84.0W 55 KT 12HR VT 07/0000Z 30.5N 84.7W 35 KT...INLAND 24HR VT 07/1200Z 32.0N 85.5W 25 KT...INLAND 36HR VT 08/0000Z 33.5N 85.5W 20 KT...INLAND 48HR VT 08/1200Z 35.0N 85.0W 20 KT...INLAND 72HR VT 09/1200Z 40.0N 81.0W 20 KT...INLAND 96HR VT 10/1200Z...ABSORBED $$ NNNN