THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 5, 1995 TAG: 9509050060
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
It's like Hugo all over again. And potentially worse.
Hurricane Luis is expected to be on Puerto Rico's doorstep today, threatening to rip into the island and the U.S. Virgin Islands with sustained winds of 140 mph and gusts above 160 mph as it begins a forecast turn to the northwest.
Luis is as strong as Hugo was when it hit the northeast tip of Puerto Rico on Sept. 18, 1989, causing extreme damage. And if the forecast for Luis holds, it will be on a course so close to Hugo's that the difference would be meaningless.
Hugo went on to the northwest and - despite forecasts that it would turn north - eventually slammed into the Carolinas, with devastating results.
John Hope, senior meteorologist at The Weather Channel in Atlanta, said coastal residents of the United States should keep tabs on Luis, but not become overly concerned just yet.
``The good news is, we are fairly confident that it is going to slow down . a bit of time to get set for this.''
A review of strong hurricanes that have been at the same point as Luis was on Monday showed that five went into the Gulf of Mexico, six hit Florida or the East Coast and seven turned to the northeast without ever reaching the U.S.
``You have a wide variety of possibilities there for sure,'' Hope said.
For now, there is a large, protective low-pressure trough several hundred miles off the East Coast. That, combined with a high-pressure system over the central Atlantic, might combine to steer Luis away.
For now, a hurricane warning is in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and each has declared a state of emergency.
At 8 p.m. Monday, the center of Luis was about 95 miles east-northeast of Guadeloupe and 90 miles east of Antigua and was moving west at 12 mph. That motion is expected to continue today.
The 700-mile-wide storm easily dwarfs most of the area's islands.
Residents of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico rushed Monday night to prepare for the storm's arrival, and tourists jammed every airliner flying out.
``We are planning as if the storm is going to directly strike the island,'' Puerto Rico's Gov. Pedro Rossello said in a radio broadcast to residents Monday as the emergency was announced. ``We want to minimize the possibility of loss of life.''
The National Weather Service in San Juan said tropical storm-force winds are expected to hit the Virgin Islands early this morning.
``The most dangerous weather associated with the hurricane is expected to arrive in the U.S. Virgin Islands Tuesday night and across Puerto Rico Wednesday morning,'' the weather service said. ``The eye of the hurricane is forecast to reach St. Thomas by early Wednesday morning.''
The weather service was blunt: ``Luis has the potential to produce extreme and damaging winds'' and ``widespread coastal and flash flooding.'' ILLUSTRATION: TRACKER'S GUIDE
STEVE STONE/Staff
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB