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LILI BECOMES CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE AS EYE MOVES ACROSS WESTERN CUBA
(See NOAA's National Hurricane Center for the latest information on this storm. Complete advisories are posted at 11 a.m., 5 p.m., 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. All times are Eastern. Advisories are posted more frequently as the storm nears the USA mainland.)
October
1, 2002 — At 2 p.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Lili was located
near latitude 22.3 north, longitude 84.4 west or over western Cuba about
45 miles northeast of Cabo San Antonio. This position is also about 135
miles southwest of Havana, Cuba. Lili is moving toward the west-northwest
near 14 mph, and this motion is expected to continue with some slight
increase in forward speed during the next 24 hours. This motion should
bring the center of Lili into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico during the
next few hours, according to the NOAA
National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. (Click NOAA satellite
image for larger view of Hurricane Lili taken at 11:15 a.m. EDT on Oct.
1, 2002. Click here
to see latest view. Please credit “NOAA.”)
Reports from an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that
maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph with higher gusts.
This makes Lili a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale. Additional strengthening is forecast as the center
moves into the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane
force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center, and tropical
storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles. The estimated minimum
central pressure is 971 mb, 28.67 inches. (Click NOAA satellite
image for larger view of Hurricane Lili taken at 8:15 a.m. EDT on Oct.
1, 2002.)
A storm surge
of 8 to 10 feet above normal tide levels, along with battering waves,
can be expected along the south coast of western Cuba Tuesday. A storm
surge of 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels is possible along the north
coast of western Cuba in areas of onshore flow.
Rainfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches, with isolated higher amounts,
are likely near the path of Lili. These rains could cause life-threatening
flash flooding and mud slides in mountainous areas.
A hurricane warning remains in effect for the Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Ciudad de La Habana, La Habana, Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the north coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Cozumel to Progreso. A hurricane watch may be required for portions of the northwestern and northern coasts of the Gulf of Mexico later Tuesday. Interests in these area should monitor the progress of Lili.
For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by NOAA National Weather Service local forecast offices.
| NOAA’s
HURRICANE FACTS
LAST TIME A HURRICANE STRUCK THE U.S. MAINLAND Bret, Padre Island, south Texas, Aug. 22, 1999. Sustained winds of 115 mph, Category 3. Floyd,
Cape Fear, N.C., Sept. 16, 1999. Sustained winds of 105 mph, Category
2. During their lifetimes, both storms were Category 4 but weakened before landfall.
Last U.S. land falling Category 4 storm: Hugo, Charleston, S.C., September 22, 1989 Last U.S. land falling Category 3 storm: Bret, Padre Island, south Texas, Aug. 22, 1999 |
Click
NOAA tracking map for larger view.
Relevant
Web Sites
NOAA's
National Hurricane Center —
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NOAA's Atlantic Hurricanes
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El
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Contact:
Frank
Lepore, NOAA's National Hurricane
Center, (305) 229-4404