*********EXERCISE! EXERCISE!************************
At 10AM CDT, Tuesday, category 2 Hurricane Fabrication was located at 20.4 N 87.7 W or 781 miles SE of JSC, moving NW at 15 MPH. Maximum sustained winds were 105 MPH. Fabrication moved on to the Yucatan peninsula just west of Cozumel Island earlier this morning and is weakening.
Fabrication is forecast to weaken to tropical storm or minimal hurricane force today as it continues moving across the Yucatan. Fabrication will emerge into the southern Gulf of Mexico late tonight and is forecast to regain hurricane strength, likely becoming a major hurricane tomorrow. Steering currents around a surface ridge of high pressure will continue moving Fabrication to the northwest at a fairly speedy pace of 15 to 18 mph. A very subtle turn to a more westerly direction is still being forecast on Thursday but Fabrication remains on a course towards the central or upper Texas coast. JSC will be on the right side of the storm when making landfall Thursday.
Tropical storm force 35 knot (40 mph) winds could begin at JSC very early Thursday morning with 50 knot (57 mph) winds arriving just before noon when the eye moves ashore near Matagorda Bay.
Monitor the latest advisories on Hurricane Fabrication.
The next advisory for the exercise will be issued Wednesday morning. In a real event, more advisories would be issued.