000 WTNT32 KNHC 082045 TCPAT2 BULLETIN HURRICANE PALOMA ADVISORY NUMBER 14 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL172008 400 PM EST SAT NOV 08 2008 ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PALOMA NEARING THE COAST OF CUBA... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF CIEGO DE AVILA...CAMAGUEY...LAS TUNAS...GRANMA AND HOLGUIN. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. AT 4 PM EST...2100 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS HAS DISCONTINUED THE HURRICANE WARNING FOR GRAND CAYMAN. A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LITTLE CAYMAN AND CAYMAN BRAC. THIS WARNING COULD BE DISCONTINUED LATER TONIGHT. AT 4 PM EST...THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS...INCLUDING CAT ISLAND...THE EXUMAS...LONG ISLAND...RUM CAY...SAN SALVADOR...ACKLINS ISLAND...CROOKED ISLAND AND THE RAGGED ISLANDS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCE OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA. INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN CUBA AND THE BAHAMAS SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF PALOMA. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AT 400 PM EST...2100Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE PALOMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 78.5 WEST OR ABOUT 75 MILES... 120 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF CAMAGUEY CUBA AND ABOUT 70 MILES...115 KM...NORTHWEST OF CABO CRUZ. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 35 MILES...60 KM...WEST-SOUTHWEST OF SANTA CRUZ DEL SUR CUBA. PALOMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 10 MPH...17 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED AFTER LANDFALL. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF PALOMA IS EXPECTED TO BE APPROACHING THE COAST OF SOUTH-CENTRAL CUBA TONIGHT...EMERGE INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN LATE SUNDAY...AND BE NEARING THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS LATE SUNDAY OR ON MONDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 145 MPH...230 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. PALOMA IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST UNTIL LANDFALL THEN STEADY WEAKENING SHOULD OCCUR FOR THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES...45 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS 952 MB...28.11 INCHES. POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 20 TO 25 FEET...ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...IS EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER OF PALOMA MAKES LANDFALL ALONG THE SOUTH COAST OF CUBA. STORM SURGE FLOODING IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDE TONIGHT. PALOMA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN CUBA...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM TOTALS OF 20 INCHES POSSIBLE. THESE RAINS MAY PRODUCE LIFE- THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUDSLIDES. FIVE TO TEN INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS. RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS JAMAICA AND ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS LITTLE CAYMAN AND CAYMAN BRAC. REPEATING THE 400 PM EST POSITION...20.5 N...78.5 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHEAST NEAR 10 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...145 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...952 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