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Issued: 0915 Tuesday 19th September 2006
Duty forecaster: Simon Keeling
Azores Brace Themselves for Direct Hit
It should eb a time of year of sunshine and fine weather, but this September the Azores Islands are bracing themselves for a direct hit from Hurricane Gordon.
Windsspeeds in excess of 70mph are expected with the more western islands thought to be more likely to be worst affected.
The text of thelatest hurricane warning from the National Hurricane Center is below. All residents of the Islands are being advised to take precautions.
Hurricane Gordon will weaken signifcantly as it heads northeastwards over the next 24-hours.
TEXT OF HURRICANE WARNING ISSUED 19TH SEPTEMBER AT 6.50AM
...GORDON MOVING RAPIDLY EASTWARD AS IT TAKES AIM ON THE AZORES...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE AZORES ISLANDS. 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.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
AT 200 AM AST...0600Z...THE CENTER OF THE WELL-DEFINED EYE OF HURRICANE GORDON WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 38.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 40.2 WEST OR ABOUT 710 MILES... 1140 KM...WEST OF TERCEIRA IN THE AZORES ISLANDS.
GORDON IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST NEAR 28 MPH...44 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...GORDON WILL PASS NEAR OR MOVE ACROSS THE AZORES LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 100 MPH...160 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GORDON IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ALTHOUGH SOME SLOW WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...GORDON IS STILL EXPECTED TO BE A HURRICANE AS IT PASSES NEAR OR ACROSS THE AZORES ISLANDS. IN ADDITION...STRONGER WINDS WILL BE LIKELY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE AZORES.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 40 MILES...65 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM.
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 972 MB...28.70 INCHES.
LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES ALONG WITH STORM SURGES OF 1 TO 3 FT ARE POSSIBLE IN AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS IN THE AZORES.
GORDON IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES OVER THE AZORES... WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 6 INCHES OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. **ends**