Monday, September 03, 2007

Hurricane Felix has reached Cat 5 status!

The perfect storm. Hurricane Felix has reached the top status on the Safir-Simpson scale -- Cat 5.

Here is the 5AM EDT Advisory:-

000
WTNT31 KNHC 030851
TCPAT1
BULLETIN
HURRICANE FELIX ADVISORY NUMBER 12
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL062007
500 AM EDT MON SEP 03 2007

...POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE FELIX MOVING QUICKLY WESTWARD...
...NEW HURRICANE WATCHES AND WARNINGS ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF HONDURAS...

AT 5 AM EDT...0900 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF HONDURAS HAS ISSUED A HURRICANE WARNING FROM LIMON HONDURAS EASTWARD TO THE HONDURAS/NICARAGUA BORDER...AND A HURRICANE WATCH FROM WEST OF LIMON WESTWARD TO THE HONDURAS/GUATEMALA BORDER. A HURRICANE
WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE OVER EXTREME NORTHEASTERN NICARAGUA.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR JAMAICA AND FOR GRAND CAYMAN. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 500 AM EDT...0900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FELIX WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 14.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 75.9 WEST OR ABOUT 275 MILES...445 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF KINGSTON JAMAICA AND ABOUT 490 MILES...790 KM...EAST OF CABO GRACIAS A DIOS ON THE NICARAGUA/HONDURAS BORDER.

FELIX IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 21 MPH...33 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER OF FELIX WILL BE NEAR THE COASTS OF EXTREME NORTHEASTERN NICARAGUA AND NORTHEASTERN HONDURAS EARLY ON TUESDAY MORNING.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 165 MPH...270 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. FELIX IS A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE COMMON IN MAJOR HURRICANES AND ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO...BUT FELIX IS EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE STATUS DURING THIS PERIOD.

ALTHOUGH FELIX IS AN EXTREMELY POWERFUL HURRICANE IT HAS A VERY SMALL WIND FIELD. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES...45 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE BASED ON DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS 929 MB...27.43 INCHES.

REPEATING THE 500 AM EDT POSITION...14.1 N...75.9 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 21 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...165 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...929 MB.

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 800 AM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 1100 AM EDT.

$$
FORECASTER KNABB