000 WTNT33 KNHC 240847 TCPAT3 BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM SANDY ADVISORY NUMBER 8 NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL182012 500 AM EDT WED OCT 24 2012 ...SANDY CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN AS IT MOVES A LITTLE FASTER TOWARD JAMAICA... ...TROPICAL STORM WATCH ISSUED FOR SOUTHEAST FLORIDA. AND THE UPPER KEYS... SUMMARY OF 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...16.3N 77.0W ABOUT 120 MI...190 KM S OF KINGSTON JAMAICA ABOUT 295 MI...475 KM SSW OF GUANTANAMO CUBA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...70 MPH...110 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...N OR 10 DEGREES AT 14 MPH...22 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...986 MB...29.12 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS -------------------- CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY... A TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA FROM JUPITER INLET SOUTH AND WEST TO FLAMINGO...INCLUDING FLORIDA BAY. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FLORIDA UPPER KEYS FROM OCEAN REEF SOUTHWARD TO CRAIG KEY. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT... A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR... * JAMAICA * CUBAN PROVINCES OF CAMAGUEY...LAS TUNAS...GRANMA...SANTIAGO DE CUBA...HOLGUIN...AND GUANTANAMO A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR... * HAITI * THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS...INCLUDING CAT ISLAND...THE EXUMAS...LONG ISLAND...RUM CAY...AND SAN SALVADOR. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR... * THE SOUTHEASTERN AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS * FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM JUPITER INLET TO FLAMINGO * FLORIDA UPPER KEYS FROM OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY * FLORIDA BAY A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN 24 TO 36 HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS LATER THIS MORNING. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 48 HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MAY BE REQUIRED FOR PORTIONS OF EAST-CENTRAL FLORIDA LATER THIS MORNING. 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 THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE. DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK ------------------------------ AT 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM SANDY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 77.0 WEST. SANDY IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 14 MPH...22 KM/H...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY ACCOMPANIED BY A GRADUAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF SANDY IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS JAMAICA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MOVE NEAR OR OVER EASTERN CUBA LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING...AND APPROACH THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS ON THURSDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 70 MPH...110 KM/H... WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND SANDY IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE BY THE TIME IT REACHES JAMAICA AND CUBA. TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES...220 KM FROM THE CENTER. A NOAA BUOY LOCATED WELL TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER RECENTLY REPORTED A SUSTAINED WIND OF WIND 56 MPH...90 KM/H AND A GUST OF 74 MPH...120 KM/H. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 986 MB...29.12 INCHES. HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ---------------------- WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH JAMAICA THIS MORNING...WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED BY THIS AFTERNOON. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF HAITI BY THIS AFTERNOON. HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN EASTERN CUBA BY THIS EVENING. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS BY EARLY THURSDAY...WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON...AND WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST...THE UPPER KEYS...AND FLORIDA BAY BY FRIDAY MORNING. RAINFALL...SANDY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ACROSS JAMAICA...HAITI...THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND EASTERN CUBA...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 20 INCHES POSSIBLE. THESE RAINS MAY PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES...ESPECIALLY IN AREAS OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF THE BAHAMAS...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES. STORM SURGE...A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ALONG THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN COAST OF JAMAICA. A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IN SOUTHEASTERN CUBA. A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 4 TO 7 FT ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IN THE BAHAMAS WITHIN THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA. NEAR THE COAST...THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS WAVES. NEXT ADVISORY ------------- NEXT INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY...800 AM EDT. NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY...1100 AM EDT. $$ FORECASTER STEWART