09/05/08: 17:00 AST/21:00 UT: Potentially Dangerous Hurricane Ike Heads Towards Bahamas.
National Hurricane Center

18:15:15 AST/22:15 UT, satellite images:
left: RGB Enhanced GOES; right: AVN GOES. Credit: NOAA

Hurricane Ike Advisory number 19
NWS/National Hurricane Center Miami Fl al092008
500 pm AST Fri Sep 05 2008

Potentially dangerous Ike heading toward the Bahamas...

A hurricane watch remains in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas.

All interests in the rest of the Bahamas... Cuba... South Florida... and the Florida keys should closely monitor the progress of this potentially dangerous hurricane.

For storm information specific to your area... Including possible inland watches and warnings... please monitor products issued by your local weather office.

Sep 4: Hurricane Ike was still a Category 4 storm on the morning of Sept. 4 when this photo was taken from the International Space Station's vantage point of 220 miles above the Earth. The season's seventh named storm was churning west-northwestward through the mid-Atlantic Ocean sporting winds of 120 nautical miles per hour with gusts to 145. Photo Credit: NASA

At 500 pm AST... 2100z... The eye of hurricane Ike was located near latitude 22.9 north... longitude 64.1 west or about 430 miles... 690 km... north-northwest of the Leeward Islands and about 460 miles... 735 km... east-northeast of Grand Turk Island.

Ike is moving toward the west-southwest near 15 mph... 24 km/hr. A motion toward the west or west-southwest is expected tonight and tomorrow... with a general motion to the west expected by Sunday. On this track... Ike could be near the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas early on Sunday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph... 185 km/hr... With higher gusts. Ike is a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some fluctuations in strength are forecast during the next 24 hours... but Ike is expected to be a major hurricane as it nears the hurricane watch area.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 45 miles... 75 km... From the center... and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 120 miles... 195 km.

An air force reserve reconnaissance hurricane hunter reported a minimum central pressure of 958 mb... 28.29 inches.

Repeating the 500 pm AST position... 22.9 n... 64.1 w. Movement toward... west-southwest near 15 mph. Maximum sustained winds... 115 mph. Minimum central pressure... 958 mb.

An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane center at 800 pm AST, followed by the next complete advisory at 1100 pm AST.

Forecaster Blake/Beven

- courtesy of NOAA National Hurricane Center; image credit: NOAA