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Hurricane OMAR (Text)

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HURRICANE OMAR ADVISORY NUMBER  12
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL   AL152008
500 AM AST THU OCT 16 2008
 
...CORE OF OMAR RAPIDLY MOVING AWAY FROM THE NORTHERN LEEWARD
ISLANDS...

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ST. MARTIN/MAARTEN...
SABA...ST. EUSTATIUS...ST. BARTHELEMY...AND ANGUILLA.
 
AT 5 AM AST...0900 UTC...THE HURRICANE WARNING FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN
ISLANDS AND THE ISLANDS OF VIEQUES AND CULEBRA HAS BEEN
DISCONTINUED.
 
AT 5 AM AST...0900 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BRITISH VIRGIN
ISLANDS HAS DISCONTINUED THE HURRICANE WARNING FOR THE BRITISH
VIRGIN ISLANDS.
 
A HURRICANE WATCH AND A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR
THE ISLANDS OF ST. KITTS AND NEVIS.
 
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ANTIGUA...BARBUDA...AND
MONTSERRAT.
  
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
 
AT 500 AM AST...0900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE OMAR WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 19.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 63.2 WEST OR ABOUT 70 MILES...
110 KM...NORTH OF ST. MARTIN.
 
OMAR IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 25 MPH...41 KM/HR...AND
THIS MOTION WITH A GRADUAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS.
 
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 125 MPH...205 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  OMAR IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. STRONGER WINDS...ESPECIALLY IN GUSTS...ARE LIKELY OVER
ELEVATED TERRAIN. SOME WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24
HOURS.
 
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 35 MILES...55 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115
MILES...185 KM. ST. MAARTEN RECENTLY REPORTED A WIND GUST TO 70
MPH...113 KM/HR.
 
LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE ESTIMATED FROM AIR FORCE
RECONNAISSANCE PLANE DATA WAS 964 MB...28.47 INCHES.

OMAR IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 10
INCHES...WITH MAXIMUM AMOUNTS UP TO 20 INCHES...ACROSS THE NORTHERN
LEEWARD ISLANDS. THESE RAINS COULD PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH
FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES.

COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE
LEVELS...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE
EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE PATH OF OMAR.  COASTAL STORM
SURGE FLOODING SHOULD GRADUALLY SUBSIDE ALONG THE COASTS OF THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO.  OMAR COULD STILL PRODUCE LARGE
SWELLS THAT WILL AFFECT THE WEST- AND SOUTH-FACING COASTS OF THE
ISLANDS OF THE LESSER ANTILLES. THESE SWELLS COULD CAUSE BEACH
EROSION AND DAMAGE TO COASTAL STRUCTURES.
 
REPEATING THE 500 AM AST POSITION...19.1 N...63.2 W.  MOVEMENT
TOWARD...NORTHEAST NEAR 25 MPH.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...125 MPH.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...964 MB.
 
AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER AT 800 AM AST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 1100
AM AST.
 
$$
FORECASTER AVILA
 
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