000 WTNT33 KNHC 182103 TCPAT3 BULLETIN HURRICANE BILL ADVISORY NUMBER 14...CORRECTED NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL032009 500 PM AST TUE AUG 18 2009 CORRECTED TO CHANGE WORD HUNGER TO HUNTER ...BILL APPROACHING MAJOR HURRICANE STATUS... INTERESTS IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF BILL. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE. AT 500 PM AST...2100 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT NEAR LATITUDE 16.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 52.2 WEST OR ABOUT 635 MILES...1025 KM...EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. BILL IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 16 MPH...26 KM/HR. A WEST-NORTHWEST MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TONIGHT...FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY. ON THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF BILL WILL BE PASSING WELL TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS LATE WEDNESDAY AND EARLY THURSDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 110 MPH...175 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BILL IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO AND BILL IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE TONIGHT OR WEDNESDAY. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES...75 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS 962 MB...28.41 INCHES. ...SUMMARY OF 500 PM AST INFORMATION... LOCATION...16.6N 52.2W MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH PRESENT MOVEMENT...WEST-NORTHWEST OR 290 DEGREES AT 16 MPH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...962 MB THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1100 PM AST. $$ FORECASTER BROWN/CANGIALOSI