09/07/08: 11:00 AST/15:00 UT: Category 4 Hurricane Ike: Eye Passing Ove Great Inagua Island.
National Hurricane Center

11:15 AST/15:15 UT, satellite images:
left: RGB Enhanced GOES; right: AVN GOES. Credit: NOAA

Hurricane Ike Advisory Number 26
NWS TPC/National Hurricane Center Miami Fl al092008
1100 am AST sun sep 07 2008

Eye of Ike passing over Great Inagua Island...

At 11 am EDT... 1500 UTC... The government of Cuba has extended the hurricane warning westward to include the provinces of Villa Clara... Sancti Spiritus... and Cienfuegos. A hurricane warning is now in effect for the Cuban provinces of Guantanamo... Santiago de Cuba... Holguin... Las Tunas and Granma... Camaguey... Ciego de Avila... .Villa clara... Sancti Spiritus... and Cienfuegos. A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

At 11 am EDT... 1500 UTC... The government of Cuba has issued a hurricane watch for the Cuban provinces of Matanzas... La Habana... and Ciudad de Habana. A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area... generally Within 36 hours.

At 11 am EDT... 1500 UTC... A hurricane watch has been issued for the Florida keys from Ocean Reef southward... including the Dry Tortugas.

At 11 am EDT... 1500 UTC... The tropical storm warning for the northern coast of the Dominican Republic is discontinued.

A hurricane warning remains in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas including the Acklins... Crooked Island... the Inaguas... Mayaguana... and the ragged Islands... and for the central Bahamas including Cat Island... the Exumas... Long island... Rum Cay... and San Salvador.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the northern peninsula of Haiti from the northern boarder with the Dominican Republic to Gonaives.

A hurricane watch remains in effect for Andros Island in the Bahamas.

A tropical storm watch remains in effect for the Cayman Islands.

All interests in the remainder of the Bahamas... Cuba... And south Florida 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.

At 1100 am AST... 1500z... the center of hurricane Ike was located near latitude 21.0 north... longitude 73.4 west or about 15 miles... 25 km... west-southwest of Great Inagua Island and about 130 miles ... 205 km... east-northeast of Guantanamo Cuba.

Ike is moving toward the west near 13 mph... 20 km/hr..A west to west-southwest motion is expected to continue today with a turn toward the west-northwest expected on Monday. On this track... the core of the hurricane will move through the southeastern Bahamas today and move near or over eastern Cuba tonight... and near or over central Cuba late Monday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 135 mph... 215 km/hr... with higher gusts. Ike is an extremely dangerous category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Fluctuations in strength are possible today and tonight but Ike is expected to remain a major hurricane as it approaches eastern Cuba. Ike is expected to weaken as it moves over eastern and central Cuba on Monday.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 60 miles... 95 km... From the center... and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 145 miles... 230 km.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 949 mb... 28.02 inches.

Storm surge flooding of 13 to 18 feet above normal tide levels... along with large and dangerous battering waves... can be expected within the warning area in areas of onshore flow.

Large swells generated by Ike will affect portions of the southeast United States coast during the next couple of days. These waves could generate dangerous and life-threatening rip currents.

Rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches are expected over the Turks and Caicos islands and the southeastern Bahamas. Hispaniola and eastern Cuba could see 6 to 12 inches of rain with isolated maximum amounts of up to 20 inches possible. These rains will lIkely cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides over mountainous terrain.

Repeating the 1100 am AST position... 21.0 n... 73.4 w. Movement toward... west near 13 mph. Maximum sustained winds... 135 mph. Minimum central pressure... 949 mb.

An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 200 pm AST, followed by the next complete advisory at 500 pm AST. Forecaster Rhome/Beven

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