Hurricane Isabel Advisory Number 27
Statement as of 5:00 PM AST on September 12, 2003
...Air Force reserve and NOAA hurricane hunters confirm that Isabel
is a category five hurricane...
at 5 PM AST...2100z...the center of Hurricane Isabel was located
near latitude 21.8 north...longitude 58.6 west or about 350
miles...565 km...northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
Isabel is moving toward the west near 9 mph...15 km/hr...and this
general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours.
Report from Air Force reserve and NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft
indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 160 mph...260
km/hr...with higher gusts. This makes Isabel a category five
hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Fluctuations in
intensity are common in major hurricanes...and are likely during
the next 24 hours.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 85 miles...140 km...
from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up
to 185 miles...295 km.
The latest minimum central pressure reported by the hurricane
hunters is 920 mb...27.17 inches.
Large ocean swells and dangerous surf conditions are likely over
portions of the Leeward Islands...the Virgin Islands...and Puerto
Rico over the next several days.
Repeating the 5 PM AST position...21.8 N... 58.6 W. Movement
toward...west near 9 mph. Maximum sustained
winds...160 mph. Minimum central pressure... 920 mb.
The next advisory will be issued by the National
Hurricane Center at 11 PM AST.
Forecaster Beven
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