Hurricane DENNIS

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BULLETIN
HURRICANE DENNIS ADVISORY NUMBER  23
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 PM EDT SAT JUL 09 2005

...DANGEROUS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE DENNIS CONTINUING
NORTHWESTWARD TOWARD THE GULF COAST...EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY...
 
A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN
AND NORTHEASTERN GULF COAST FROM THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER WESTWARD TO
THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER.
 
AT 10 PM CDT...0300 UTC...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING ALONG THE
FLORIDA WEST COAST IS CANCELLED SOUTH OF BONITA BEACH.  A TROPICAL
STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM
EAST OF THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER SOUTHWARD TO BONITA BEACH...AND FOR
THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS WEST OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE.  A TROPICAL STORM
WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA COAST WEST
OF THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER TO GRAND ISLE...INCLUDING
METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONCHARTRAIN.
 
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.
 
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
 
AT 11 PM EDT...0300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 26.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE  85.3 WEST OR ABOUT  250 MILES
SOUTH OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA AND ABOUT  340 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
BILOXI MISSISSIPPI.
 
DENNIS IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH.  A GRADUAL TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. 
THIS MOTION WILL BRING THE CENTER OF DENNIS ACROSS THE NORTHERN
GULF COAST ON SUNDAY.
 
REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 125 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.  THIS
MAKES DENNIS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE.  STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST BEFORE LANDFALL...AND DENNIS IS
EXPECTED TO BECOME A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE LATER TONIGHT OR ON
SUNDAY.
 
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO  40 MILES FROM THE
CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 230
MILES.  HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH DENNIS MAY OCCUR AS
FAR AS 150 TO 175 MILES INLAND ALONG THE TRACK OF THE HURRICANE.
 
THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY THE HURRICANE HUNTER
IS  941 MB...27.79 INCHES.
 
STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 14 TO 17 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...
ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...IS POSSIBLE
NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER OF DENNIS CROSSES THE
NORTHERN GULF COAST ON SUNDAY.  STORM SURGE WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE
ALONG THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS TONIGHT. A STORM SURGE OF 2 TO 4 FEET
IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF FLORIDA TONIGHT AND
SUNDAY MORNING.

DENNIS IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8
INCHES FROM THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...SOUTHERN ALABAMA...AND SOUTHERN
MISSISSIPPI NORTHWESTWARD INTO NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...WITH ISOLATED
MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES POSSIBLE NEAR WHERE DENNIS MAKES
LANDFALL ON THE GULF COAST.  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2
TO 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE FLORIDA WEST COAST...WITH 1 TO 3
INCHES POSSIBLE OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND
KEYS...AS WELL AS OVER CUBA.

ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT OVER ALL OF THE STATE OF
FLORIDA EXCEPT THE FLORIDA KEYS.
 
REPEATING THE 11 PM EDT POSITION...26.6 N... 85.3 W.  MOVEMENT
TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS...125 MPH.  MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 941 MB.
 
INTERMEDIATE ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER AT 1 AM EDT AND 3 AM EDT FOLLOWED
BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 5 AM EDT.
 
FORECASTER BEVEN
 
 
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