000 WTNT31 KNHC 020846 TCPAT1 BULLETIN HURRICANE FELIX ADVISORY NUMBER 7 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL062007 500 AM AST SUN SEP 02 2007 ...FELIX STRENGTHENS TO A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE AS ITS CENTER PASSES JUST NORTH OF BONAIRE... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF ARUBA...BONAIRE...AND CURACAO. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR JAMAICA. INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM. 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 FELIX WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 12.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 68.7 WEST OR ABOUT 400 MILES... 645 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF SANTO DOMINGO IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...AND ABOUT 85 MILES...135 KM...EAST-NORTHEAST OF ARUBA. FELIX IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 18 MPH...30 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK THE CENTER OF FELIX WILL PASS VERY NEAR TO THE NORTH OF ARUBA...BONAIRE...AND CURACAO DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS...AND INTO THE OPEN WATERS OF THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. DATA FROM A AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 100 MPH...160 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. FELIX IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST...AND FELIX COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 15 MILES...30 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE RECENTLY REPORTED BY THE AIR FORCE PLANE WAS 984 MB...29.06 INCHES. FELIX IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES...WITH POSSIBLE MAXIMUM ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 6 INCHES...OVER THE OFFSHORE ISLANDS OF VENEZUELA AND THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES ISLANDS OF ARUBA...BONAIRE...AND CURACAO. REPEATING THE 500 AM AST POSITION...12.8 N...68.7 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 18 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...100 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...984 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 KNABB