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LILI STRENGTHENS RAPIDLY TO DANGEROUS
CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE;
NOAA Warns Preparations to Protect Life and Property in the Hurricane
Warning Area Should Be Rushed to Completion
(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
2, 2002 — At 2 p.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Lili was located
near latitude 25.3 north, longitude 89.4 west or about 325 miles south
of New Orleans, La. Lili is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph, and
this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours, according
to the NOAA National Hurricane Center
in Miami, Fla. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of
Hurricane Lili taken at 10:15 a.m. EDT on Oct. 2, 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 135 mph with higher gusts.
This makes Lili a dangerous Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale. Additional strengthening is possible Wednesday afternoon
and Wednesday night.
A hurricane warning remains in effect from east of High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Preparations to protect life and property in the hurricane warning area should be rushed to completion.
A tropical storm warning remains in effect from Freeport, Texas, to High Island and from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Alabama/Florida border, including New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.
Hurricane
force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center, and tropical
storm force winds extend outward up to 185 miles. Hurricane-force winds
are expected to spread inland up to 150 miles near the track of the center
of Lili.
The latest minimum central pressure reported by the hurricane hunter is
941 mb, 27.79 inches. A life-threatening storm surge of 10 to 15 feet
above normal tide levels is likely near and to the east of where the center
crosses the coast. This surge could spread well inland across the low-lying
areas of the hurricane warning area. Rainfall accumulations of 6 to 10
inches are possible along the track 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, Bret and Floyd were Category 4 storms 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 —
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's
Tides Online
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