ISIDORE MAKES LANDFALL OVER WESTERN CUBA

September 20, 2002 — At 5 p.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Isidore was located near latitude 21.9 north, longitude 84.3 west or inland very near La Fe, Cuba. This position is also about 40 miles east of the western tip of Cuba. Isidore is moving toward the west-northwest near 7 mph, and this motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. Isidore will be emerging into the Gulf of Mexico Friday evening, according to the NOAA National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of Hurricane Isidore taken at 2:15 p.m. EDT on Sept. 20, 2002. Click here to see latest view. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is expected during the next 24 hours, and Isidore could become a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 145 miles. (NOAA aerial photo of Hurricane Isidore taken Thursday, Sept. 19, 2002 at 6:37 p.m. EDT from a NOAA P-3 Orion "hurricane hunter" aircraft at an altitude of 7,000 feet. Click here for high resolution version. Please note that this is a large file. Please credit "NOAA.")

The minimum central pressure reported by reconnaissance aircraft was 965 mb, 28.50 inches. Extremely heavy rainfall amounts—up to 20 to 30 inches—can be expected over portions of western Cuba.

Coastal storm surge flooding of 8 to 12 feet above normal tide levels, along with large and dangerous battering waves, should be occurring near and to the east of the landfall location.

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. A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch remain in effect 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.

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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

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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. These computer systems are interconnected using a variety of network protocols. i.e. Ethernet, serial RS-232, RS-422, TCP/IP. Once the aircraft systems are installed and configured, he is responsible for their operation, maintenance and repair.