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HURRICANE ISIDORE POUNDING CUBA
September
20, 2002 — At 11 a.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Isidore was located
near latitude 21.7 north, longitude 83.9 west or about 100 miles southwest
of Havana, Cuba. This position is also about 65 miles east of the western
tip of Cuba. Isidore is moving toward the west-northwest near 8 mph. Some
decrease in forward speed is expected during the next 24 hours. On this
track, the core of the hurricane will move over far western Cuba later
Friday, according to the NOAA National
Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. (Click NOAA satellite image
for larger view of Hurricane Isidore taken at 11:45 a.m. EDT on Sept.
20, 2002. Click here
to see latest view. Please credit “NOAA.”)
Maximum
sustained winds are near 105 mph with higher gusts, making Isidore a Category
2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale. Little change in strength is forecast during the
next 24 hours. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from
the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 145 miles.
Estimated minimum central pressure is 966 mb, 28.53 inches. (NOAA
aerial photo of Hurricane Isidore taken Thursday, Sept. 19, 2002 at 6:37
p.m. EDT from an altitude of 7,000 feet. Click
here for high resolution version. Please note that this is a large
file. Please credit "NOAA.")
Extremely heavy rainfall amounts—up to 20 to 30 inches—can
be expected over portions of western Cuba over the next two to three days.
Coastal storm surge flooding of 8 to 12 feet above normal tide levels,
along with large and dangerous battering waves, can be expected near and
to the east of where the center makes landfall.
A
hurricane warning remains in effect for the western Cuban provinces of
Matanzas, Ciudad de La Habana, La Habana and Pinar del Rio, including
the Isle of Youth. The tropical storm watch for the lower Florida keys
has been discontinued. The government of Mexico has issued a tropical
storm warning and a hurricane watch from Progresso to Tulum on the Yucatan
peninsula, including the island of Cozumel. (Click NOAA satellite
image for larger view of Hurricane Isidore taken at 9:45 a.m. EDT on Sept.
20, 2002.)
For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by NOAA National Weather Service local forecast offices.
Click
NOAA tracking map for larger view.
Relevant
Web Sites
NOAA's
National Hurricane Center —
Get the latest advisories here
NOAA's Atlantic Hurricanes
Database — 150 Years of Atlantic Hurricanes
El
Niño Expected to Impact Atlantic Hurricane Season, NOAA Reports
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane
Scale
NOAA's River Forecast Centers
NOAA's Flood Products
NOAA Rainfall Graphics
24-hour
Observed Precipitation as of 8 a.m. today
Latest
rainfall data as of 8 a.m. EDT today
NOAA Buoys
NOAA Satellite Images — The
latest satellite views
Colorized Satellite Images
NOAA 3-D Satellite Images
NOAA's Hurricanes Page
NOAA's Storm Watch —
Get the latest severe weather information across the USA
Media
Contact:
Frank
Lepore, NOAA's National Hurricane
Center, (305) 229-4404
(Photo courtesy
of Sean McMillan, systems crew chief aboard NOAA-42 P-3 "hurricane
hunter" aircraft.)
 Click NOAA photo for larger view of Sean McMillan, NOAA systems crew chief of NOAA-42 P-3 aircraft, at work last May. Click here for high resolution version. Please note that this is a large file. |
Sean
McMillan NOAA Systems Crew Chief NOAA42 P-3 Orion “Hurricane Hunter” NOAA Aircraft Operations Center, Tampa, Fla. Science and Engineering Division The
responsibilities of Systems Crew Chief are to plan, coordinate,
document, install and upgrade the aircraft scientific systems, as
well as to network the onboard computers systems with those of other
scientific organizations. |
