000 WTNT33 KNHC 210840 TCPAT3 BULLETIN HURRICANE BILL ADVISORY NUMBER 24 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL032009 500 AM AST FRI AUG 21 2009 ...BILL STILL A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE BUT LOOKING LESS ORGANIZED... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FOR BERMUDA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. INTERESTS ALONG THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND AND IN THE CANADIAN MARITIMES SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF BILL. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE. AT 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 65.4 WEST OR ABOUT 425 MILES... 680 KM...SOUTH OF BERMUDA AND ABOUT 865 MILES...1390 KM...SOUTHEAST OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA. BILL IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH...28 KM/HR. A GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY... FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH ON SATURDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE IS EXPECTED TO PASS BETWEEN BERMUDA AND THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES ON SATURDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...195 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BILL IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT THE HURRICANE HAS BECOME LESS ORGANIZED DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS. HOWEVER...SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. GRADUAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON SATURDAY. BILL IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 290 MILES...465 KM. NOAA BUOY 41049...LOCATED ABOUT 170 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER... RECENTLY REPORTED 1-MINUTE MEAN WINDS OF 46 MPH...74 KM/HR...AND A WIND GUST OF 58 MPH...94 KM/HR. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 951 MB...28.08 INCHES. BILL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES OVER BERMUDA...WITH POSSIBLY SOME AMOUNTS OF 6 INCHES. SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING IS EXPECTED ALONG PORTIONS OF THE BERMUDA COASTLINE OVER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO DUE TO LARGE AND DANGEROUS BREAKING WAVES GENERATED BY BILL. LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY THIS HURRICANE ARE AFFECTING PUERTO RICO...HISPANIOLA...THE BAHAMAS...AND BERMUDA...AND SHOULD BEGIN AFFECTING MOST OF THE U.S. EAST COAST AND THE ATLANTIC MARITIMES OF CANADA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THESE SWELLS WILL LIKELY CAUSE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SURF AND LIFE-THREATENING RIP CURRENTS. PLEASE CONSULT STATEMENTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE FOR MORE DETAILS. ...SUMMARY OF 500 AM AST INFORMATION... LOCATION...26.2N 65.4W MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...120 MPH PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTHWEST OR 315 DEGREES AT 17 MPH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...951 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 BEVEN/ROBERTS