000 WTNT34 KNHC 231658 TCPAT4 BULLETIN HURRICANE DOLLY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 13A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL042008 1200 PM CDT WED JUL 23 2008 ...DOLLY HESITATES...EYEWALL OF DOLLY CROSSING SOUTH PADRE ISLAND... 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 PORT O'CONNOR. 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 1200 PM CDT...1700Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE DOLLY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 97.0 WEST OR ABOUT 35 MILES... 60 KM...NORTHEAST OF BROWNSVILLE TEXAS. DOLLY HAS BEEN MEANDERING FOR THE PAST HOUR OR SO BUT IT SHOULD BEGIN TO MOVE TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 7 MPH...11 KM/HR SOON. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE EYE OF HURRICANE DOLLY WILL BE CROSSING THE COAST ALONG THE SOUTHERN TEXAS COAST IN A COUPLE OF HOURS. PERSONS ARE ADVISED NOT TO VENTURE OUTDOORS DURING THE RELATIVE CALM OF THE EYE BECAUSE WINDS WILL SOON INCREASE QUITE RAPIDLY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 100 MPH...160 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DOLLY IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. STRONGER WINDS...ESPECIALLY IN GUSTS...ARE LIKELY ON HIGH RISE BUILDINGS. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED BEFORE LANDFALL WITH A GRADUAL WEAKENING THEREAFTER. 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 AIRPORT JUST MEASURED 58 MPH...92 KM/HR SUSTAINED WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 70 MPH...113 KM/HR. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE WAS IS 967 MB...28.56 INCHES. DOLLY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 20 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 6 TO 8 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 1200 PM CDT POSITION...26.2 N...97.0 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 7 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...100 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...967 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 200 PM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 400 PM CDT. $$ FORECASTER AVILA