FABIAN REMAINS A STRONG CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE

(See the NOAA 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.)

Sept. 1, 2003 — The NOAA National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla., reports that at 11 p.m. EDT the center of major Hurricane Fabian was located near latitude 19.4 north, longitude 58.6 west or about 235 miles east-northeast of Barbuda in the northern Leeward Islands. Fabian is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. On this track, the center of Fabian is expected to pass well to the northeast and north of the northern Leeward Islands on Tuesday and Wednesday. (Click NOAA image for larger view of Hurricane Fabian taken Sept. 1, 2003, at 10:45 p.m. EDT. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Maximum sustained winds remain near 145 mph with higher gusts, making Fabian a very powerful storm based on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Fluctuations in strength are common with major hurricanes and could occur during the next 24 hours. (Click NOAA tracking map of Hurricane Fabian for larger view.)

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 942 mb, 27.82 inches.

Large swells and dangerous surf conditions will be affecting the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the next day or two.

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 National Hurricane Center — Get the latest advisories here

NOAA Atlantic Hurricanes Database — 150 Years of Atlantic Hurricanes

NOAA Forecasters Say Six to Nine Hurricanes Could Threaten in 2003

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

NOAA River Forecast Centers

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Media Contact:
Frank Lepore, NOAA Hurricane Center, (305) 229-4404