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CNN Live Today

Lili Termed a Hurricane

Aired September 30, 2002 - 11:29   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: No stopping for Hurricane Lili, which has now been termed a hurricane, or it's been actually categorized as a hurricane as of a few moments ago.
Jacqui Jeras, as you can obviously see, here with the latest word on that.

Yes, Lili is a hurricane, a category one hurricane, packing winds about 75 miles per hour, so that makes it a minimal category 1. However, that can cause a lot of damage, and right now, it's bearing down on the Cayman Islands, expecting to see some very heavy rainfall, and the next pass looks like it's going to be heading towards the Isle of Youth over western Cuba, and then out into the Gulf of Mexico. It should continue to strengthen and also pick up a little bit of forward speed today and may become a category three hurricane, bearing down on the U.S. by the end of the week.

And for more information on this, we are going to go live via telephone to Max Mayfield, who is a director of National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Max, good morning.

MAX MAYFIELD, DIR., NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Good morning, Jackie.

JERAS: What's the latest on Lili?

MAYFIELD: As you said, it's just recently been upgraded to a hurricane. It's headed, again, toward the Isle of Youth and western portions of Cuba, very similar to what Isidore did. We have been talking with our counterparts down there in Cuba, and they've got the drill down pat by now.

We are very concerned as this system continues heading toward the Gulf of Mexico that we could see continued strengthening. As you mentioned, it could become a major hurricane before it's all over.

JERAS: Now, Max, last week, we were here at the same time at the same day, talking about a possible major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico as maybe a category three or better. Do you think this one is going to be different from Isidore? Do you think that there is a chance for this to weaken, or do you think it is going to stay strong and a category 3? What's the difference here?

MAYFIELD: Well, there is a big difference, because Isidore actually was a very powerful category three hurricane, but then it moved over the Yucatan Channel and the Yucatan Peninsula, and it actually set over land for several days, and that really allowed it to weaken, and it never did come back to a hurricane once it moved back out on the Gulf of Mexico.

Lili is going to skirt the western tip of Cuba. It is not mountainous there. It is relatively flat. It is not very wide. So I don't really see any real impact there. That's why we're very concerned it could strengthen over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. If it does do that and if it does become a major hurricane as we're forecasting, then we have to worry about all of the hazards of the hurricane, including storm surge, wind, rain and tornadoes. We had some storm surge with Isidore, but it can be much, much stronger in Lili, if it strengthens as forecasted.

MAYFIELD: And where do you think the best chance at this time would be for Lili to make U.S. landfall?

MAYFIELD: Oh, it is way too early. We are three days away, probably early tomorrow morning moving over western Cuba, by Wednesday morning, the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. The first concern would be for the drilling forms and people in the Gulf, and then by early Thursday morning, should be threatening Louisiana or upper Texas coast.

JERAS: All right, we'll keep an eye on it, and we'll check in with you throughout the week.

Thanks very much,Max Mayfield from the National Hurricane Center.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 30, 2002 - 11:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: No stopping for Hurricane Lili, which has now been termed a hurricane, or it's been actually categorized as a hurricane as of a few moments ago.
Jacqui Jeras, as you can obviously see, here with the latest word on that.

Yes, Lili is a hurricane, a category one hurricane, packing winds about 75 miles per hour, so that makes it a minimal category 1. However, that can cause a lot of damage, and right now, it's bearing down on the Cayman Islands, expecting to see some very heavy rainfall, and the next pass looks like it's going to be heading towards the Isle of Youth over western Cuba, and then out into the Gulf of Mexico. It should continue to strengthen and also pick up a little bit of forward speed today and may become a category three hurricane, bearing down on the U.S. by the end of the week.

And for more information on this, we are going to go live via telephone to Max Mayfield, who is a director of National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Max, good morning.

MAX MAYFIELD, DIR., NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Good morning, Jackie.

JERAS: What's the latest on Lili?

MAYFIELD: As you said, it's just recently been upgraded to a hurricane. It's headed, again, toward the Isle of Youth and western portions of Cuba, very similar to what Isidore did. We have been talking with our counterparts down there in Cuba, and they've got the drill down pat by now.

We are very concerned as this system continues heading toward the Gulf of Mexico that we could see continued strengthening. As you mentioned, it could become a major hurricane before it's all over.

JERAS: Now, Max, last week, we were here at the same time at the same day, talking about a possible major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico as maybe a category three or better. Do you think this one is going to be different from Isidore? Do you think that there is a chance for this to weaken, or do you think it is going to stay strong and a category 3? What's the difference here?

MAYFIELD: Well, there is a big difference, because Isidore actually was a very powerful category three hurricane, but then it moved over the Yucatan Channel and the Yucatan Peninsula, and it actually set over land for several days, and that really allowed it to weaken, and it never did come back to a hurricane once it moved back out on the Gulf of Mexico.

Lili is going to skirt the western tip of Cuba. It is not mountainous there. It is relatively flat. It is not very wide. So I don't really see any real impact there. That's why we're very concerned it could strengthen over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. If it does do that and if it does become a major hurricane as we're forecasting, then we have to worry about all of the hazards of the hurricane, including storm surge, wind, rain and tornadoes. We had some storm surge with Isidore, but it can be much, much stronger in Lili, if it strengthens as forecasted.

MAYFIELD: And where do you think the best chance at this time would be for Lili to make U.S. landfall?

MAYFIELD: Oh, it is way too early. We are three days away, probably early tomorrow morning moving over western Cuba, by Wednesday morning, the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. The first concern would be for the drilling forms and people in the Gulf, and then by early Thursday morning, should be threatening Louisiana or upper Texas coast.

JERAS: All right, we'll keep an eye on it, and we'll check in with you throughout the week.

Thanks very much,Max Mayfield from the National Hurricane Center.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com