STATUS: Hurricane 1
800 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2008
...GUSTAV STILL A HURRICANE OVER SOUTHERN HAITI...
...HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES ACROSS MOST OF HISPANIOLA...
AT 8 PM EDT...0000Z...THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS HAS
ISSUED A HURRICANE WATCH FOR ALL OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS.
AT 8 PM EDT...THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAS
DISCONTINUED THE HURRICANE WARNING FOR ALL OF THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC.
A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CUBA FOR THE PROVINCES OF
GUANTANAMO...SANTIAGO DE CUBA...AND GRANMA. A HURRICANE WARNING
MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING
AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 24 HOURS.
A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR HAITI FROM LE MOLE ST
NICHOLAS TO THE NORTHERN HAITI/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BORDER.
A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF LAS
TUNAS AND HOLGUIN. A HURRICANE WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR JAMAICA.
A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE
WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.
INTERESTS IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN CUBA AND THE CAYMAN ISLANDS SHOULD
CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF GUSTAV.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
AT 800 PM EDT...0000Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GUSTAV WAS
LOCATED...BASED ON IMAGES FROM THE RADAR AT GRAN PIEDRA CUBA...TO
BE NEAR LATITUDE 18.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 73.3 WEST OR ABOUT 60
MILES...100 KM...WEST OF PORT AU PRINCE HAITI AND ABOUT 155
MILES...250 KM...SOUTHEAST OF GUANTANAMO CUBA.
GUSTAV IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 7 MPH...11 KM/HR. A TURN
TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT...AND A GENERAL
WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY. ON THIS
TRACK...HURRICANE GUSTAV SHOULD PASS NEAR THE SOUTHWESTERN
PENINSULA OF HAITI TONIGHT AND MOVE NEAR OR JUST SOUTH OF EASTERN
CUBA ON WEDNESDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 75 MPH...120 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. GUSTAV IS MOVING BACK OVER WATER AND IS STILL A CATEGORY ONE
HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN
STRENGTH ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT AS GUSTAV INTERACTS WITH LAND...BUT
RESTRENGTHENING IS FORECAST TO BEGIN WHEN THE CENTER EMERGES OVER
THE WINDWARD PASSAGE ON WEDNESDAY.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 15 MILES...30 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70
MILES...110 KM.
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 992 MB...29.29 INCHES.
GUSTAV IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8
INCHES OVER HISPANIOLA...EASTERN CUBA...AND JAMAICA...WITH ISOLATED
MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF UP TO 20 INCHES POSSIBLE. THESE RAINS WILL
LIKELY PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES.
COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS
ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES CAN BE EXPECTED IN
AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA.
