000 WTNT31 KNHC 010853 TCPAT1 BULLETIN HURRICANE OPHELIA ADVISORY NUMBER 35 NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL162011 500 AM AST SAT OCT 01 2011 ...MAJOR HURRICANE OPHELIA PASSES DIRECTLY OVER NOAA BUOY 41049... EXPECTED TO PASS EAST OF BERMUDA THIS AFTERNOON... SUMMARY OF 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...27.7N 63.1W ABOUT 335 MI...535 KM SSE OF BERMUDA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...120 MPH...195 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...N OR 360 DEGREES AT 17 MPH...28 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...952 MB...28.11 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS -------------------- CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY... NONE. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT... A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR... * BERMUDA FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO BERMUDA...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THE BERMUDA WEATHER SERVICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE. DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK ------------------------------ AT 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE OPHELIA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 27.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 63.1 WEST. OPHELIA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 17 MPH...28 KM/H. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO...BRINGING THE CORE OF OPHELIA EAST OF BERMUDA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A TURN TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST SHOULD BEGIN ON SUNDAY WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 120 MPH...195 KM/H...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. OPHELIA IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 18 HOURS FOLLOWED BY GRADUAL WEAKENING. HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 40 MILES...65 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES...335 KM. THE EYE OF OPHELIA RECENTLY PASSED DIRECTLY OVER NOAA BUOY 41049...AND THE BUOY REPORTED A ONE-MINUTE SUSTAINED WIND OF 96 MPH...155 KM/H...WITH A PEAK GUST TO 116 MPH...187 KM/H. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 952 MB...28.11 INCHES...BASED ON REPORTS FROM NOAA BUOY 41049 LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF THE EYE. HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ---------------------- WIND...TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE ON BERMUDA BY THIS AFTERNOON. SURF...LARGE SWELLS CREATED BY OPHELIA WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS SURF CONDITIONS ALONG THE SOUTH-FACING BEACHES OF BERMUDA. NOAA BUOY 41049 RECENTLY REPORTED WAVE HEIGHTS OF MORE THAN 40 FEET. RAINFALL...RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO 1 INCH CAN BE EXPECTED ON BERMUDA IN ASSOCIATION WITH OPHELIA. NEXT ADVISORY ------------- NEXT INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY...800 AM AST. NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY...1100 AM AST. $$ FORECASTER STEWART