Statement as of 4:00 PM CDT on September 10, 2008

...Watches and warnings issued for the Gulf Coast...
At 4 PM CDT...2100 UTC...a Tropical Storm Warning has been issued
from the mouth of the Mississippi River westward to Cameron
Louisiana. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm
conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24
hours.

At 4 PM CDT...a Hurricane Watch has been issued from Cameron
westward to Port Mansfield Texas. Hurricane conditions are possible
within the watch area by Friday.

A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect from west of Key West to
the Dry Tortugas.

For storm information specific to your area...including possible
inland watches and warnings...please monitor products issued
by your local weather office.

At 400 PM CDT...2100z...the center of Hurricane Ike was located near
latitude 24.5 north...longitude 86.1 west or about 720 miles...1155
km...east of Brownsville Texas and about 370 miles...590 km...
south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Ike is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph...13 km/hr.  A turn
back to a west-northwestward motion is expected tonight...and
a mostly west-northwestward motion through the central and western
Gulf of Mexico is expected over the next couple of days.

Maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph...160 km/hr...with higher
gusts.  Ike is a category two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Ike is expected to become a major hurricane within the next 24
hours.

Ike is a very large tropical cyclone.  Hurricane force winds extend
outward up to 90 miles...150 km...from the center...and tropical
storm force winds extend outward up to 205 miles...335 km.

The latest minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force Reserve
unit reconnaissance aircraft was 958 mb...28.29 inches.

Coastal storm surge flooding along the coasts of Cuba and in the
Florida Keys should continue to subside tonight. Coastal storm
surge flooding of 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels...along with
large and dangerous waves...can be expected within the Tropical
Storm Warning area.  Above normal tides of 2 to 4 feet are expected
elsewhere along much of the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico
during the next day or so...but will be increasing along the
western Gulf Coast as Ike approaches.

Ike is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12
inches over western Cuba...with isolated maximum amounts of up to
20 inches possible. These rains are likely to cause
life-threatening flash floods and mud slides over mountainous
terrain. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible over extreme
southern Louisiana and over the extreme northern Yucatan Peninsula.

Repeating the 400 PM CDT position...24.5 N...86.1 W.  Movement
toward...northwest near 8 mph.  Maximum sustained winds...100 mph.
Minimum central pressure...958 mb.

An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane
Center at 700 PM CDT followed by the next complete advisory at 1000
PM CDT.

$$
Forecaster Franklin