000 WTNT33 KNHC 220557 TCPAT3 BULLETIN HURRICANE BILL INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 27A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL032009 200 AM AST SAT AUG 22 2009 ...BILL MAKING ITS CLOSEST APPROACH TO 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. TROPICAL STORM WATCHES OR WARNINGS MAY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY FOR NOVA SCOTIA AND NEWFOUNDLAND. 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 200 AM AST...0600 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 32.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 68.2 WEST OR ABOUT 205 MILES... 330 KM...WEST OF BERMUDA AND ABOUT 475 MILES...765 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 LATER TODAY...WITH A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AND AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED ON SUNDAY. 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 THIS MORNING. BILL IS EXPECTED TO PASS OFFSHORE OF THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND LATE TODAY AND APPROACH NOVA SCOTIA ON SUNDAY. REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT 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 TODAY. 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. NOAA BUOY 41048...LOCATED ABOUT 85 MILES WEST OF THE CENTER...RECENTLY REPORTED 1-MINUTE MEAN WINDS OF 52 MPH... 84 KM/HR...AND A WIND GUST OF 65 MPH...104 KM/HR. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE RECENTLY REPORTED BY THE HURRICANE HUNTER IS 959 MB...28.32 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. 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 LATER TODAY AND SUNDAY. THESE SWELLS WILL LIKELY CAUSE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SURF AND LIFE-THREATENING RIP CURRENTS. ...SUMMARY OF 200 AM AST INFORMATION... LOCATION...32.2N 68.2W MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...105 MPH PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTH-NORTHWEST OR 345 DEGREES AT 20 MPH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...959 MB THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 500 AM AST. $$ FORECASTER BEVEN