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LILI REMAINS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS
CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE; DEADLY 10 TO 20 FOOT STORM SURGE APPROACHING THE
GULF COAST;
NOAA Warns Final Preparations to Protect Life and Property Should Be Rushed
to Completion Now; Follow Advice from Local Emergency Managers
(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 11 p.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Lili was located
near latitude 27.2 north, longitude 90.6 west or about 170 miles south-southeast
of Marsh Island on the south central Louisiana coast. This position is
also about 195 miles south of New Orleans, La. Lili is moving toward the
north-northwest near 16 mph, and a gradual turn toward the north is expected
during the next 24 hours. This motion would bring the center to the south
central coast of Louisiana Thursday morning, according to the NOAA
National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. (Click NOAA satellite
image for larger view of Hurricane Lili taken at 11:15 p.m. EDT on Oct.
2, 2002. Click
here to see latest view. Please credit “NOAA.”)
Reports from Air Force Reserve and NOAA
research hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained
winds remain near 145 mph with higher gusts. While some fluctuations in
strength are possible during the next 24 hours, Lili is still expected
to make landfall as a major hurricane.
Hurricane
force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center, and tropical
storm force winds extend outward up to 195 miles. Hurricane-force winds
are expected to spread inland up to 150 miles near the track of the center
of Lili. Tropical storm force winds have begun to spread onshore at the
southeast coast of Louisiana. (Click NOAA image for larger view
of Hurricane Lili taken from inside the eye wall Oct. 2, 2002, at 3:23
p.m. EDT from NOAA's P-3 Orion hurricane hunter aircraft. Click
here for high resolution version of this image, which is a large file.
Please credit "NOAA.")
The latest minimum central pressure reported by hurricane hunter aircraft is 942 mb, 27.82 inches. A potentially deadly storm surge of 10 to 20 feet above normal tide levels is likely near and to the east of where the center crosses the coast. The surge could spread as much as 25 miles inland across the low-lying portions of the hurricane warning area along the track.
Rainfall
accumulations of 6 to 10 inches are possible along the track of Lili.
These rains could cause dangerous flooding. Isolated tornadoes are possible
over southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. (Click NOAA
image for larger view of Hurricane Lili taken from inside the eye wall
Oct. 2, 2002, from NOAA's P-3 Orion hurricane hunter aircraft. Click
here for high resolution version of this image, which is a large file.
Please credit "NOAA.")
A hurricane
warning remains in effect from east of High Island, Texas, to the mouth
of the Mississippi River. A tropical storm warning remains in effect from
Freeport to High
Island, Texas, and from east of the mouth of the Mississippi River to
the Alabama/Florida border, including New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.
Special Statements from NOAA Weather Forecast Offices to be Impacted by
Lili.
Lake Charles, La., Local Statement
Houston/Galveston, Texas, Local Statement
New Orleans, La., Local Statement
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
(Photos 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. |
