000 WTNT33 KNHC 211135 TCPAT3 BULLETIN HURRICANE BILL INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 24A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL032009 800 AM AST FRI AUG 21 2009 ...BILL BECOMES A LITTLE LESS ORGANIZED... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FOR BERMUDA. 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...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 800 AM AST...1200 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 65.8 WEST OR ABOUT 385 MILES... 620 KM...SOUTH OF BERMUDA AND ABOUT 820 MILES...1320 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 HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BILL IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ALTHOUGH SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT BILL HAS BECOME A LITTLE LESS ORGANIZED...SOME SLIGHT RESTRENGTHENING IS STILL POSSIBLE LATER TODAY FOLLOWED BY A GRADUAL WEAKENING 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. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 958 MB...28.29 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 THE HURRICANE. 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. THE METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REPORTED SOME COASTAL FLOODING WITH DAMAGE TO ROADS AND HOUSES DUE TO HIGH WAVES ALONG THE NORTH COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. ...SUMMARY OF 800 AM AST INFORMATION... LOCATION...26.8N 65.8W MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTHWEST OR 315 DEGREES AT 17 MPH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...958 MB THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1100 AM AST. $$ FORECASTER AVILA