000 WTNT34 KNHC 231250 TCPAT4 BULLETIN HURRICANE DOLLY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 12B NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL042008 800 AM CDT WED JUL 23 2008 ...DOLLY STRENGTHENING AS IT APPROACHES THE SOUTHERN TEXAS COAST... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE COAST OF TEXAS FROM BROWNSVILLE TO CORPUS CHRISTI...AND FOR THE NORTHEASTERN COAST OF MEXICO FROM RIO SAN FERNANDO NORTHWARD TO THE BORDER BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NORTH OF CORPUS CHRISTI TO SAN LUIS PASS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FROM LA PESCA TO SOUTH OF RIO SAN FERNANDO. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AT 800 AM CDT...1300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DOLLY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 96.9 WEST OR ABOUT 40 MILES... 60 KM...EAST OF BROWNSVILLE TEXAS. DOLLY IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH...13 KM/HR...AND NORTHWESTWARD TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION WITH A SLIGHT DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED TODAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF DOLLY WILL BE ALONG THE COAST NEAR THE TEXAS/MEXICO BORDER AROUND MIDDAY TODAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 95 MPH...155 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DOLLY IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME INCREASE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED...AND DOLLY COULD APPROACH CATEGORY TWO INTENSITY WHEN IT REACHES THE COASTLINE LATER TODAY. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 25 MILES...35 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES...220 KM. PORT ISABEL ON THE SOUTHERN TEXAS COAST JUST REPORTED A WIND GUST TO 72 MPH...116 KM/HR AND MATAMOROS MEXICO REPORTED GUSTS TO 55 MPH...89 KM/HR. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT RECENTLY REPORTED A MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 967 MB...28.56 INCHES. DOLLY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES...OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS AND NORTHEASTERN MEXICO OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THESE RAINS WILL LIKELY CAUSE WIDESPREAD FLOODING ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS AND NORTHEAST MEXICO. COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS TODAY AND TONIGHT. REPEATING THE 800 AM CDT POSITION...25.9 N...96.9 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...95 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...967 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1000 AM CDT. $$ FORECASTER AVILA