Hurricane DENNIS

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HURRICANE DENNIS ADVISORY NUMBER  17
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
5 PM EDT FRI JUL 08 2005

...MAJOR HURRICANE DENNIS LASHING CENTRAL CUBA...
...NEW WATCHES AND WARNINGS ISSUED FOR THE UNITED STATES...
 
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CUBA FOR THE PROVINCES OF LA
HABANA...CIUDAD DE LA HABANA...MATANZAS...VILLA CLARA...
CIENFUEGOS...SANCTI SPIRITUS...CIEGO DE AVILA...CAMAGUEY...LAS
TUNAS...GRANMA...SANTIAGO DE CUBA...HOLGUIN AND GUANTANAMO.  A
HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLE OF YOUTH AND THE
PROVINCE OF PINAR DEL RIO. EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE HURRICANE WARNING
AREA WILL LIKELY BE DISCONTINUED LATER TONIGHT.
 
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS
FROM THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE WESTWARD TO THE DRY TORTUGAS. A
TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE FLORIDA KEYS...EAST OF THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO
OCEAN REEF AND FLORIDA BAY.
 
AT 5 PM EDT...2100Z...A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS
OF THE NORTHEASTERN GULF COAST FROM THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER WESTWARD
TO THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER.
 
AT 5 PM EDT...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST
COAST HAS BEEN EXTENDED NORTHWARD TO ANCLOTE KEY.  A TROPICAL STORM
WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM ANCLOTE
KEY SOUTHWARD...AND ALONG THE FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM GOLDEN BEACH
SOUTHWARD.
 
AT 5 PM EDT...A TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED ALONG THE
FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM NORTH OF ANCLOTE KEY NORTHWARD TO EAST OF
THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER.
 
A HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE OR
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...RESPECTIVELY...ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE
WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE
AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION IN THE HURRICANE
WARNING AREA.  A HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT
HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...RESPECTIVELY...ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.
 
INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA...FLORIDA...AND THE
EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM.
 
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
 
AT 5 PM EDT...2100Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 22.6 NORTH... LONGITUDE 81.1 WEST OR ABOUT 95 MILES
... 150 KM... EAST-SOUTHEAST OF HAVANA CUBA AND ABOUT 145 MILES...
235 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA.
 
WHILE SOME WOBBLING HAS CONTINUED TO OCCUR...AS IS TYPICAL OF A
MAJOR HURRICANE...DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO GENERALLY MOVE TOWARD THE
NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH...28 KM/HR. ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER 
SHOULD EMERGE OFF THE NORTH-CENTRAL COAST OF CUBA THIS EVENING.
 
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 135 MPH...215
KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ALTHOUGH DENNIS IS STILL A CATEGORY 4
HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE...SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING
IS FORECAST AS DENNIS MOVES OVER CUBA. HOWEVER...DENNIS IS EXPECTED
TO REMAIN A MAJOR HURRICANE AS IT EMERGES OVER THE STRAITS OF
FLORIDA AND THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO THIS EVENING.
 
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO  65 MILES...100 KM...
FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 160 MILES...260 KM. EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON AS DENNIS MADE
LANDFALL ALONG THE SOUTH-CENTRAL COAST OF CUBA...A SUSTAINED WIND
OF 99 MPH...160 KM/HR...WITH A GUST WIND GUST TO 149 MPH...240
KM/HR...WAS MEASURED IN CIENFUEGOS...AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WAS ALSO
REPORTED.
 
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS  949 MB...28.02 INCHES.
 
DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO
10 INCHES OVER CUBA...WITH LOCAL 15 INCH AMOUNTS. THESE RAINS COULD
PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. RAINFALL OF 4
TO 8 INCHES IS EXPECTED OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA.
 
STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 5 TO 10 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...
ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...ARE STILL POSSIBLE
IN AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS ALONG THE SOUTH-CENTRAL COAST OF CUBA.
HIGHER VALUES OF STORM WILL BE POSSIBLE IN BAYS AND INLETS.  A
STORM SURGE OF 3 TO 6 FEET IS POSSIBLE IN THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS. A
STORM SURGE OF 4 TO 7 FEET IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF
FLORIDA TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.
 
ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS AND THE
SOUTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA INTO SATURDAY.

REPEATING THE 5 PM EDT POSITION...22.6 N... 81.1 W.  MOVEMENT
TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS...135 MPH.  MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 949 MB.
 
INTERMEDIATE ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER AT 7 PM EDT AND 9 PM EDT FOLLOWED
BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 11 PM EDT.
 
FORECASTER STEWART
 
 
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