Hurricane Ike Advisory 38, Storm Growing in Size And Intensity

BULLETIN
HURRICANE IKE ADVISORY NUMBER 38
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL092008
11 AM EDT WED SEP 10 2008
IKE GROWING IN SIZE AND STRENGTH IN THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF
MATANZAS, LA HABANA, CIUDAD DE HABANA, PINAR DEL RIO AND THE ISLE OF YOUTH.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF KEY WEST TO THE DRY
TORTUGAS. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA, INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS, PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL
WEATHER OFFICE.
AT 11 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IKE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 23.9
NORTH, LONGITUDE 85.3 WEST OR ABOUT 225 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF KEY WEST
FLORIDA AND ABOUT 430 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
ALTHOUGH THE CENTER OF IKE MOVED LITTLE OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS, THE
HURRICANE IS GENERALLY MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH. A
WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS, WHICH WOULD TAKE IKE THROUGH THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NOW NEAR 90 MPH, WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IKE IS A
CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING
IS EXPECTED AND IKE COULD BE A MAJOR HURRICANE TOMORROW.
IKE IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO
80 MILES FROM THE CENTER, AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 205 MILES. THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED FROM A NOAA
HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT WAS 957 MB, 28.26 INCHES.
COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING ALONG THE COASTS OF CUBA AND IN THE FLORIDA
KEYS SHOULD SUBSIDE TODAY. ABOVE NORMAL TIDES OF 2 TO 4 FEET ARE ALREADY
OCCURRING ALONG MUCH OF THE NORTH COAST OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. IKE IS
EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES OVER
WESTERN CUBA, WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF UP TO 20 INCHES POSSIBLE.
THESE RAINS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES
OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AN INCH OR SO ARE
POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS THROUGH THIS
EVENING.
REPEATING THE 11 AM EDT POSITION, 23.9 N, 85.3 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD,
WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS, 90 MPH. MINIMUM
CENTRAL PRESSURE, 957 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 2 PM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY
AT 5 PM EDT.