000 WTNT32 KNHC 072049 TCPAT2 BULLETIN HURRICANE PALOMA ADVISORY NUMBER 9 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL172008 400 PM EST FRI NOV 07 2008 ...CATEGORY TWO PALOMA LASHING GRAND CAYMAN... AT 4 PM EST...2100 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA HAS ISSUED A HURRICANE WARNING FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF SANCTI SPIRITUS... CIEGO DE AVILA...CAMAGUEY AND LAS TUNAS. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. AT 4 PM EST...THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCE OF GRANMA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCE OF GRANMA. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN CUBA AND THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF PALOMA. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AT 400 PM EST...2100Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE PALOMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.3 WEST OR ABOUT 40 MILES... 70 KM...SOUTH OF GRAND CAYMAN AND ABOUT 290 MILES...465 KM... SOUTHWEST OF CAMAGUEY CUBA. PALOMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 6 MPH...9 KM/HR. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT AND THAT GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF PALOMA WILL PASS NEAR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS TONIGHT OR EARLY SATURDAY AND BE APPROACHING THE COAST OF CENTRAL CUBA LATE SATURDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH...165 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. PALOMA IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. FURTHER STRENGTHENING IS LIKELY AND PALOMA COULD BECOME A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE TONIGHT OR EARLY TOMORROW. SLOW WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE BY LATE SATURDAY. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 25 MILES...35 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 120 MILES...195 KM. THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE AS ESTIMATED FROM AIR FORCE RESERVE AND NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT DATA IS 967 MB...28.56 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 5 TO 7 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...IS EXPECTED NEAR THE CENTER OF PALOMA IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 8 TO 12 FEET IS EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER OF PALOMA MAKES LANDFALL ALONG THE SOUTH COAST OF CUBA. PALOMA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND CENTRAL AND EASTERN CUBA WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM TOTALS OF 15 INCHES POSSIBLE. FLASH FLOOD AND MUDSLIDES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN HIGHER TERRAIN. REPEATING THE 400 PM EST POSITION...18.7 N...81.3 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 6 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...105 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...967 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 700 PM EST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 1000 PM EST. $$ FORECASTER BLAKE/FRANKLIN