000 WTNT34 KNHC 131259 TCPAT4 BULLETIN HURRICANE IKE INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 49B NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL092008 800 AM CDT SAT SEP 13 2008 ...HURRICANE IKE CONTINUES TO POUND EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS WITH HEAVY RAINS AND HIGH WINDS... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO PORT O'CONNOR TEXAS. PORTIONS OF THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA MAY BE REPLACED BY A TROPICAL STORM WARNING LATER THIS MORNING. 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 IKE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 30.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 95.3 WEST OR JUST NORTHEAST OF CONROE TEXAS. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 20 MILES... 30 KM... SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF HUNTSVILLE...AND ABOUT 60 MILES...95 KM... SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF LUFKIN TEXAS. IKE IS NOW MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 18 MPH...29 KM/HR. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY...WITH A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AND AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED EXPECTED TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF IKE WILL MOVE THROUGH EASTERN AND NORTHEASTERN TEXAS TODAY...AND INTO WESTERN ARKANSAS TONIGHT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 90 MPH...145 KM/HR... WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IKE IS NOW A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AS THE CENTER MOVES FARTHER INLAND. HOWEVER...IKE COULD REMAIN A HURRICANE INTO THIS AFTERNOON. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 125 MILES...205 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 260 MILES...415 KM. HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE HOUSTON METROPOLITAN AREA DURING THE PAST HOUR... AND HOUSTON-HOBBY AIRPORT RECENTLY RECEIVED A WIND GUST OF 92 MPH...148 KM/HR. TROPICAL STORM-FORCE WINDS ARE ALSO BEING REPORTED ALONG A LARGE STRETCH OF THE UPPER TEXAS AND SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA COASTAL AREAS. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 962 MB...28.41 INCHES. CONROE AIRPORT RECENTLY REPORTED A PRESSURE OF 962.4 MB...28.42 INCHES...VERY NEAR THE CENTER OF THE EYE OF HURRICANE IKE. COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF UP TO 15 FEET...WITH POSSIBLY UP TO 20 FEET IN BAYS AND RIVERS...ABOVE NORMAL TIDES ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS AND SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA COASTS. THE SURGE EXTENDS A GREATER THAN USUAL DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER DUE TO THE LARGE SIZE OF THE CYCLONE. AUTOMATED TIDE GAGES ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST ARE STILL REPORTING STORM SURGES OF 9 TO 12 FT ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS. DO NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE IN THE EYE. THE STRONGEST WINDS AND HIGHEST SURGE WILL LIKELY OCCUR NEAR OR JUST AFTER THE EYE PASSES YOUR AREA. IKE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER EASTERN TEXAS AND EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES POSSIBLE. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY OVER PORTIONS OF EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS...AND SOUTHERN AND WESTERN LOUISIANA. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT OVER PORTIONS OF WESTERN LOUISIANA...MUCH OF ARKANSAS...AND SOUTHERN MISSOURI. REPEATING THE 800 AM CDT POSITION...30.5 N...95.3 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTH NEAR 18 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...90 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...962 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1000 AM CDT. $$ FORECASTER STEWART