000 WTNT33 KNHC 212338 TCPAT3 BULLETIN HURRICANE BILL INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 26A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL032009 800 PM AST FRI AUG 21 2009 ...HURRICANE BILL CONTINUES MOVING NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OBSERVED IN BERMUDA... 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 PM AST...0000 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 30.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 67.0 WEST OR ABOUT 200 MILES...325 KM...SOUTHWEST OF BERMUDA AND ABOUT 600 MILES...970 KM...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA. BILL IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 20 MPH...32 KM/HR. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH IS EXPECTED TONIGHT OR EARLY SATURDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CORE OF HURRICANE BILL IS EXPECTED TO PASS OVER THE OPEN WATERS BETWEEN BERMUDA AND THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES ON SATURDAY...AND PASS OFFSHORE OF THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH...165 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BILL IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT OR SATURDAY. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 275 MILES...445 KM. A SUSTAINED WIND OF 39 MPH...63 KM/HR... TROPICAL STORM FORCE...WAS RECENTLY REPORTED ON BERMUDA. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 954 MB...28.17 INCHES. BILL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER BERMUDA...WITH MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 5 INCHES. THE BERMUDA WEATHER SERVICE HAS INDICATED THAT THE STORM TIDE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 3 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL ALONG THE COAST...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...IN ADVANCE OF BILL. LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY HURRICANE BILL ARE AFFECTING THE BAHAMAS AND BERMUDA...AND BEGINNING TO AFFECT THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. LARGE SWELLS WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT MUCH OF THE REMAINDER 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. SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH BILL HAVE BEGUN TO SUBSIDE ALONG THE NORTHERN COAST OF HISPANIOLA AND PUERTO RICO. ...SUMMARY OF 800 PM AST INFORMATION... LOCATION...30.2N 67.0W MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...105 MPH PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTH-NORTHWEST OR 340 DEGREES AT 20 MPH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...954 MB THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1100 PM AST. $$ FORECASTER BRENNAN