EP, 13, 2009090106, , BEST, 0, 198N, 1098W, 135, 931, HU, ftp://ftp.tpc.ncep.noaa.gov/atcf/tcweb/invest_ep132009.invest BULLETIN HURRICANE JIMENA ADVISORY NUMBER 15 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP132009 200 AM PDT TUE SEP 01 2009 ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE JIMENA HEADING TOWARD THE BAJA PENINSULA... AT 200 AM PDT...0900 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS EXTENDED THE HURRICANE WARNING NORTHWARD ALONG THE WEST COAST OF THE BAJA PENINSULA TO PUERTO SAN ANDRESITO...AND ON THE EAST COAST TO LORETO. A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA FROM PUERTO SAN ANDRESITO SOUTHWARD ON THE WEST COAST...AND FROM LORETO SOUTHWARD ON THE EAST COAST...INCLUDING CABO SAN LUCAS. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 24 HOURS. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DETERIORATE OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE WARNING AREA LATER TODAY AND PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA NORTH OF PUERTO SAN ANDRESITO ON THE WEST COAST TO PUNTA EUGENIA...AND NORTH OF LORETO ON THE EAST COAST TO BAHIA SAN JUAN BAUTISTA. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST COAST OF MAINLAND MEXICO FROM ALTATA TO HUATABAMPITO. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. THIS WATCH MAY BE EXTENDED NORTHWARD LATER TODAY. INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA AND IN WESTERN MAINLAND MEXICO SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF JIMENA. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE. AT 200 AM PDT...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE JIMENA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 110.1 WEST OR ABOUT 185 MILES...300 KM...SOUTH OF CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO AND ABOUT 345 MILES ...560 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CABO SAN LAZARO MEXICO. JIMENA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH...19 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...JIMENA WILL BE APPROACHING THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 155 MPH...250 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. JIMENA IS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE...AND VERY NEAR THE THRESHOLD OF CATEGORY FIVE STATUS. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY TODAY...AND GRADUAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST ON WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER...JIMENA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A MAJOR HURRICANE UNTIL LANDFALL. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 45 MILES...75 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES...220 KM. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 931 MB...27.49 INCHES. JIMENA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA AND PORTIONS OF WESTERN MEXICO DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES. A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE ALONG WITH BATTERING WAVES WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING ALONG THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA. ...SUMMARY OF 200 AM PDT INFORMATION... LOCATION...20.2N 110.1W MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...155 MPH PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTH-NORTHWEST OR 330 DEGREES AT 12 MPH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...931 MB AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 500 AM PDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 800 AM PDT. $$ FORECASTER BROWN HURRICANE JIMENA DISCUSSION NUMBER 15 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP132009 200 AM PDT TUE SEP 01 2009 THE SMALL EYE OF JIMENA BECAME LESS DISTINCT IN SATELLITE IMAGERY AROUND 0500 UTC...HOWEVER SINCE THAT TIME IT HAS WARMED AND IS EMBEDDED WITHIN VERY COLD CLOUD TOPS AND A RATHER SYMMETRIC CDO. THE LATEST DVORAK CI-NUMBERS REMAIN 6.5 FROM TAFB AND 6.0 FROM SAB...AND OBJECTIVE ADT ESTIMATES ALSO CONTINUE TO HOVER AROUND T6.5. BASED ON THE SATELLITE APPEARANCE AND UNCHANGED SATELLITE ESTIMATES...THE INITIAL INTENSITY WILL REMAIN 135 KT FOR THIS ADVISORY. AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS SCHEDULED TO INVESTIGATE JIMENA AROUND 1500 UTC THIS MORNING. THE HURRICANE WILL BE MOVING OVER LOWER OCEAN HEAT CONTENT...HOWEVER VERTICAL WIND SHEAR IS FORECAST TO REMAIN LOW...SO ONLY GRADUAL WEAKENING IS SHOWN DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. JIMENA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A MAJOR HURRICANE AS IT NEARS THE BAJA PENINSULA. THEREAFTER... LAND INTERACTION AND INCREASING WESTERLY SHEAR SHOULD INDUCE A FASTER RATE OF WEAKENING. THE CURRENT FORECAST ASSUMES THAT JIMENA WILL REMAIN A TROPICAL CYCLONE WHEN IT EMERGES INTO THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA IN A FEW DAYS. THE INITIAL MOTION ESTIMATE IS 330/10. JIMENA IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE IN A NORTH-NORTHWESTERLY DIRECTION DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS BETWEEN A MID- TO UPPER-LEVEL LOW WEST OF THE BAJA PENINSULA AND A MID-LEVEL RIDGE OVER NORTHERN MEXICO. THE LATEST TRACK GUIDANCE ENVELOPE HAS SHIFTED A LITTLE WESTWARD. THE GFS AND UKMET MODELS ARE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE MODEL SUITE WHILE THE GFDL...HWRF AND ECMWF ARE ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE. THE SHIFT IN THE GUIDANCE IS NOT ENOUGH TO WARRANT A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUS NHC ADVISORY...AND THE NEW TRACK LIES ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE MODEL ENVELOPE. BASED ON THE NEW FORECAST TRACK...THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS EXTENDED THE HURRICANE WARNING NORTHWARD ALONG BOTH COASTS OF THE BAJA PENINSULA. ADDITIONAL WATCHES AND WARNINGS MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY. INTERESTS IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA ARE ADVISED THAT STRONG WINDS WILL PRECEDE THE ARRIVAL OF THE CENTER BY SEVERAL HOURS...SO PREPARATIONS NEED TO BE COMPLETED VERY SOON. REMEMBER NOT TO FOCUS ON THE EXACT FORECAST TRACK SINCE DANGEROUS IMPACTS EXTEND SOME DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER. JIMENA WILL BE APPROACHING THE BAJA PENINSULA AT AN OBLIQUE ANGLE...AND SMALL DEVIATIONS LEFT OR RIGHT OF THE FORECAST TRACK COULD RESULT IN LARGE ERRORS IN BOTH THE LOCATION AND TIMING OF LANDFALL. FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS INITIAL 01/0900Z 20.2N 110.1W 135 KT 12HR VT 01/1800Z 21.6N 110.8W 130 KT 24HR VT 02/0600Z 23.5N 111.6W 120 KT 36HR VT 02/1800Z 25.2N 112.3W 100 KT 48HR VT 03/0600Z 26.7N 112.7W 75 KT...INLAND 72HR VT 04/0600Z 28.4N 113.1W 50 KT...INLAND 96HR VT 05/0600Z 30.0N 113.0W 45 KT...OVER WATER 120HR VT 06/0600Z 31.5N 112.5W 30 KT...INLAND $$ FORECASTER BROWN |