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CNN Live Saturday

Hurricane Michelle Reaches Category Four on Five-Step Hurricane Grading Scale

Aired November 03, 2001 - 15:49   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Hurricane Michelle today reached category four on the five-step hurricane grading system. Michelle's top winds now being clocked at 135 miles an hour. Does not seem in much of a hurry to move, though; still, a hurricane warning in effect for western Cuba, and visitors to the Florida Keys being told to head north, though folks in Miami are opting to watch and wait.

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MAYOR ALEX PENELAS, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA: One of the things that's really working to our advantage is time. Luckily, this is a system that -- that's kinds of progressed at the beginning of the weekend, where we have all of today and tomorrow, Sunday, to make some of the decisions. While I have said that we have made no decisions today regarding schools or shelters, those are things that if we need to make any decision, we have literally all day tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Let's go to CNN's Jacqui Jeras and find out if those plans could change depending on what Michelle does -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Catherine, the forecast track is still a little bit uncertain. But right now, it looks like the center of the hurricane will not be making landfall over the Florida Keys or South Florida. This is the latest satellite loop over the last 24 hours, and you can see -- if you take a real close look at the eye, it has been kind of wobbling, kind of sporadic here in the last 24 hours, but now it's taking more of a turn up toward the north.

Now, the hurricane force winds only extend out about 30 miles from the center, but look at the cloud bands extending all the way out over toward Tampa-St. Pete area. So, this is a very large magnitude storm system.

Hurricane Michelle, the latest statistics: 19.6 North and 84.1 West, or 175 miles south-southeast of the western tip of Cuba, packing winds now at 135 miles per hour. And some strengthening is expected over the next 24 hours.

Here is our forecast track now. We are going to be watching it head up to the north and to the east, and this is the forecast position for your Sunday morning. It will be tracking to the east of Havana, heading over to the north-central parts of Cuba. By Monday morning -- there you can see the Keys, here you can see Miami -- it will be heading over the Bahamas, it looks like at this time and back out into the Atlantic.

Now, even though it does not look at this time that it will be making a direct affect on the Keys or South Florida, it will likely be getting at least tropical storm force winds and 39 miles per hour or more.

Now, we get another update from the National Hurricane Center at 4:00 Eastern time, and we will bring that information to you as soon as we get it.

Catherine, back to you.

CALLAWAY: We will be looking forward to it. Jacqui, thank you.

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