National Hurricane Center Hurricane Camille Bulletin 5

NATIONAL HURRICANEC CENTER  MIAMI

BULLETIN  3 PM  EDT  FRIDAY  AUGUST 15, 1969

...CAMILLE GROWS STRONGER AS IT EDGES CLOSER TO CUBA...

AN ESSA RECON PLANE TRACKING HURRICANE CAMILLE DURING THE DAY HAS REPORTED A STEADY INTENSIFICATION OF CAMILLE AND SOMEWHAT SLOWER MOVEMENT AS IT CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF CUBA. THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE IS CLEARLY IN VIEW OF THE WEATHER RADAR IN HAVANA WHICH IS SUPPLYING REGULAR REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER.

AT 3 PM...1900Z...HURRICANE CAMILLE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 21.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 84.2 WEST. THIS IS ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTH OF THE CUBA COASTLINE AND 400 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MIAMI. THIS POSITION IS RELOCATED A SMALL DISTANCE WEST OF THE TRACK PROJECTED AT THE NOON ADVISORY WHICH WAS ISSUED BEFORE THE LATEST RECON INFORMATION BECAME AVAILABLE.

CAMILLE...WHILE STILL AN IMMATURE YOUNG HURRICANE WITH A VERY SMALL INTENSE CORE IS NEVERTHELESS THE MOST INTENSE HURRICANE SINCE BEULAH IN 1967. MAXIMUM WINDS ARE AT LEAST 115 MPH AND OVER THE WATER AREAS GALE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD INTO THE EASTERN FLORIDA STRAIGHT AREA.

CAMILLE IS STILL MOVING NORTH NORTHWESTWARD BUT AT A REDUCED SPEED NO MORE THAN 6 OR 7 MPH AND WILL REACH THE CUBAN MAINLAND ABOUT 9 PM AND EMERGE INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO AROUND MIDNIGHT. INDICATIONS ARE THAT CAMILLE WILL PROCEED NORTHWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO WITH INCREASED SPEED BUT WILL NOT REACH ANY LAND AREAS BEFORE EARLY SUNDAY. NEVERTHELESS ALL INTERESTS IN THE KEYS AND WEST COAST OF FLORIDA SHOULD KEEP IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH FUTURE ADVICES IN THE EVENT THERE ARE CHANGES IN CONDITIONS ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

REPEATING THE 3 PM EDT POSITION...21.2 NORTH...84.2 WEST.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 6 PM EDT.

SIMPSON