Friday, November 07, 2008

Hurricane Paloma Advisory #10

Note the use of ham radio observations in this advisory:

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000
WTNT32 KNHC 080237
TCPAT2
BULLETIN
HURRICANE PALOMA ADVISORY NUMBER 10
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL172008
1000 PM EST FRI NOV 07 2008

...MAJOR HURRICANE PALOMA LASHING GRAND CAYMAN WITH STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS... ...NOW HEADING TOWARD LITTLE CAYMAN AND CAYMAN BRAC...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.

A HURRICANE WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF SANCTI SPIRITUS... CIEGO DE AVILA...CAMAGUEY AND LAS TUNAS. 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 TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCE OF GRANMA. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN CUBA AND THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF PALOMA.

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

AT 1000 PM EST...0300Z...THE CENTER OF MAJOR HURRICANE PALOMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 19.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 80.9 WEST OR ABOUT 25 MILES... 40 KM...SOUTHEAST OF THE EASTERN END OF GRAND CAYMAN AND ABOUT 65 MILES...105 KM...SOUTHWEST OF LITTLE CAYMAN. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 250 MILES...405 KM...SOUTHWEST OF CAMAGUEY CUBA.

PALOMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 7 MPH...11 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF PALOMA IS EXPECTED TO PASS OVER OR NEAR LITTLE CAYMAN AND CAYMAN BRAC SATURDAY MORNING...AND BE APPROACHING THE COAST OF CENTRAL CUBA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. PALOMA IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME SLIGHT STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...BEFORE GRADUAL WEAKENING BEGINS BY SATURDAY EVENING.

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. UNOFFICIAL REPORTS OF SUSTAINED WINDS OF 80 MPH... 130 KM/HR...WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 100 MPH...160 KM/HR...HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM AMATEUR/HAM RADIO OPERATORS ON GRAND CAYMAN DURING THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 962 MB...28.41 INCHES.

STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 5 TO 7 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...IS EXPECTED NEAR THE CENTER OF PALOMA IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 8 TO 12 FEET IS EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER OF PALOMA MAKES LANDFALL ALONG THE SOUTH COAST OF CUBA.

PALOMA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND CENTRAL AND EASTERN CUBA... WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM TOTALS OF 15 INCHES POSSIBLE...WHICH MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODS. MUDSLIDES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN HIGHER TERRAIN...ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN CUBA.

REPEATING THE 1000 PM EST POSITION...19.1 N...80.9 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHEAST NEAR 7 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...962 MB.

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 100 AM EST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 400 AM EST.
$$
FORECASTER STEWART