Hurricane Bll
August 21st, 2009 at 9:30 am by Tony Petrarca under General Talk
…BILL BECOMES A LITTLE LESS ORGANIZED…
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FOR
BERMUDA.
INTERESTS ALONG THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND AND IN THE CANADIAN
MARITIMES SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF BILL.
AT 800 AM AST…1200 UTC…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BILL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 26.8 NORTH…LONGITUDE 65.8 WEST OR ABOUT 385 MILES…
620 KM…SOUTH OF BERMUDA AND ABOUT 820 MILES…1320 KM…SOUTHEAST
OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA.
BILL IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH…28 KM/HR. A
GRADUAL TURN TO THE NORTH-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY…
FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH ON SATURDAY. ON THE FORECAST
TRACK…THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE IS EXPECTED TO PASS BETWEEN
BERMUDA AND THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES ON SATURDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 115 MPH…185
KM/HR…WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BILL IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON
THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ALTHOUGH SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES
THAT BILL HAS BECOME A LITTLE LESS ORGANIZED…SOME SLIGHT
RESTRENGTHENING IS STILL POSSIBLE LATER TODAY FOLLOWED BY A GRADUAL
WEAKENING ON SATURDAY.
BILL IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES…185 KM…FROM THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL
STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 290 MILES…465 KM.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 958 MB…28.29 INCHES.
BILL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4
INCHES OVER BERMUDA…WITH POSSIBLY SOME AMOUNTS OF 6 INCHES.
SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING IS EXPECTED ALONG PORTIONS OF THE
BERMUDA COASTLINE OVER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO DUE TO LARGE AND
DANGEROUS BREAKING WAVES GENERATED BY THE HURRICANE.
LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY THIS HURRICANE ARE AFFECTING PUERTO
RICO…HISPANIOLA…THE BAHAMAS…AND BERMUDA…AND SHOULD BEGIN
AFFECTING MOST OF THE U.S. EAST COAST AND THE ATLANTIC MARITIMES OF
CANADA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THESE SWELLS WILL LIKELY CAUSE
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SURF AND LIFE-THREATENING RIP CURRENTS.