Gustav Almost a Hurricane....
200 PM EDT...1800Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.3 WEST OR ABOUT 125 MILES...200 KM...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF GRAND CAYMAN AND ABOUT 425 MILES
...685 KM...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE WESTERN TIP OF CUBA. GUSTAV IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 11 MPH...19 KM/HR. A NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN TODAY AND TO CONTINUE ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER OF GUSTAV WILL PASS NEAR OR OVER THE CAYMAN ISLANDS LATER TODAY...OVER THE WESTERN
PORTIONS OF CUBA ON SATURDAY...AND INTO THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO
ON SUNDAY.
DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MPH...110 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. STRENGTHENING IS LIKELY DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...AND GUSTAV IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE AT ANY TIME TODAY. GUSTAV COULD
BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE BEFORE REACHING WESTERN CUBA.


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