ZCZC NFDSCCNS2 ALL TTAA00 KNFD DDHHMM STORM SUMMARY NUMBER 58 FOR T.D. "GEORGES" NATIONAL CENTERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTION HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER...NWS...CAMP SPRINGS MD 1200 PM CDT TUE SEP 29 1998 AT 1000 AM CDT THE CENTER OF CIRCULATION ASSOCIATED WITH "GEORGES" WAS LOCATED NEAR 31.1N 87.9W...OR ROUGHLY 35 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF MOBILE ALABAMA. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WERE JUST OVER 30 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS OVER 40 MPH...AND GRADUAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS AS IT SLOWLY MOVES OFF TOWARD THE NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA. AT THE PRESENT TIME RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY IS STILL SHOWING A WELL-DEFINED CIRCULATION WITH "GEORGES". LARGE AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO ARE STREAMING NORTHWARD AROUND THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE SYSTEM. THIS MOISTURE HAS LED TO AN EXTENSIVE AREA OF HEAVY RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS AS FAR NORTH AS NORTHERN GEORGIA WHERE THIS MOISTURE IS INTERACTING WITH A COLD FRONT THAT IS MOVING THROUGH THE EASTERN STATES. MEANWHILE...DRY AIR BEING WRAPPED INTO THE CIRCULATION ON THE WESTERN SIDE HAS BROUGHT THE HEAVY RAIN TO AN END OVER SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MISSISSIPPI WHERE CURRENTLY THERE ARE SOME LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS SHOWING ON RADAR. THE BIG STORY NOW WITH "GEORGES" WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG WITH THE THREAT OF TORNADOES ALONG ITS EASTERN EDGE. BANDS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN ARE CONTINUING TO MOVE RAPIDLY ACROSS THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE INTO SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ALABAMA. THIS RAIN WILL BE ADDING TO SOME ALREADY VERY HIGH RAINFALL TOTALS THAT HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THE STORM MADE LANDFALL OVER SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI EARLY MONDAY MORNING. SOME REPORTED RAINFALL TOTALS OVER THE PERIOD SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY INCLUDE: ...ALABAMA... BAY MINETTE (BALDWIN CO) 14.55 INCHES ALABAMA PORT (MOBILE CO) 13.66 INCHES MOBILE AIRPORT 12.20 INCHES DOWNTOWN MOBILE 10.99 INCHES AXIS (MOBILE CO) 10.00 INCHES CHATOM (WASHINGTON CO) 9.80 INCHES SEMINOLE 9.43 INCHES ...FLORIDA... MUNSON (SANTA ROSA CO) 25.06 INCHES PENSACOLA AIRPORT (ESCAMBIA CO) 10.08 INCHES NICEVILLE (OKALOOSA CO) 10.08 INCHES ...MISSISSIPPI... LEAKESVILLE (GREENE CO) 8.29 INCHES SATELLITE AND RADAR ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT SOME LOCATIONS IN SOUTHEASTERN MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA...AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE HAVE RECEIVED OVER 30 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WHEN RAINBANDS BEGAN COMING ASHORE. AS A RESULT OF THE VERY HEAVY RAIN THERE ARE CURRENTLY FLASH FLOOD WATCHES IN EFFECT TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR LARGE PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA...THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE...AND WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN GEORGIA. IN ADDITION...SINCE DECAYING TROPICAL SYSTEMS FREQUENTLY PRODUCE TORNADOES AFTER MAKING LANDFALL...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...SOUTHWESTERN AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...SOUTHEASTERN ALABAMA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. THE NEXT STORM SUMMARY WILL BE ISSUED BY HPC AT 600 PM CDT. MAUSSER/FORECAST OPERATIONS BRANCH NNNN