Latest Projection Shows Dorian Hitting US as a Major Hurricane
Hurricane Dorian, growing stronger after nicking the Virgin Islands on Wednesday, is now moving toward Florida where officials fear a massive storm could hit on Labor Day.
“Dorian is expected to become a major hurricane on Friday,” the National Hurricane Center said in its Thursday morning advisory.
The center estimated that Dorian will clip the northwestern Bahamas and dump four to eight inches of rain there before turning to the U.S. mainland to do the same, with a foot of rain possible in some locations.
Dorian had been expected to hit Puerto Rico, but veered off, causing power outages in some parts of the Virgin Islands as high winds downed trees and power lines.
Video from Shaun Kadison on her boat on St. Thomas, near Charlotte Amalie during the #Dorian northern eyewall pic.twitter.com/n3pdMDeB0P
— Jim Edds (@ExtremeStorms) August 28, 2019
WOW! #Dorian is hammering the #USVI & #BVI with wind gusts clocked to 97 MPH at 231′ at Estate Bovoni.
? lion.lioness in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. We’ve got the latest on the @weatherchannel#HurricaneDorian#weatherchannel pic.twitter.com/JHy8FrX6gf— Mike Seidel (@mikeseidel) August 28, 2019
As of 5 a.m. Thursday, Dorian was 425 miles east-southeast of the southeastern Bahamas and heading northwest at 13 miles per hour. Although the storm was a Category 1 hurricane with winds of up to 85 mph on Thursday, forecasters expect it will be a Category 3 storm with winds of up to 125 mph when it hits land on Monday.
Current projections show possible landfall anywhere along Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Wed. 11 p.m. Update: #Dorian continues to strengthen as a category 1 hurricane with max winds up to 85 mph and central pressure down to 986 mb. The forecast track remains relatively unchanged, showing a major hurricane approach to Florida. pic.twitter.com/MyAY1EuOM7
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) August 29, 2019
Dorian could be “the strongest hurricane to hit Central Florida in over 30 years,” said Glenn Richards, a meteorologist for WOFL in Orlando.
“Hurricane-force sustained winds would be carried across the entire width of the state if the current forecast holds.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to be ready for Dorian’s expected Labor Day arrival.
As Hurricane #Dorian approaches, I’ve declared a state of emergency to ensure local governments and emergency management agencies have ample time, resources and flexibility to get prepared. Please continue to follow local reports and @FLSERT for updates. https://t.co/FyQM6wd8er
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 28, 2019
.@NHC_Atlantic is forecasting that #Dorian could be a major Hurricane. We’ve been monitoring this storm with @FLSERT and will continue to watch closely. All Floridians on the East Coast should have 7 days of supplies, prepare their homes & follow the track closely.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 28, 2019
“At this point it’s all about preparation,” Tracy Jackson, Broward County’s director of emergency management, told WSVN. “Everybody should already have an idea about what they’re going to do when the storm’s threatening. This is a great time to verify those things.”
This far out, large shifts in predicted track & intensity are common with tropical systems. #Dorian is no different. While there is a more clustered consensus on the likely path, a large chunk of real estate should be in “wait and see” mode for surprises. pic.twitter.com/JSP3JKFsfb
— Eric Snitil (@EricSnitilWx) August 29, 2019
Dennis Feltgen, a Hurricane Center meteorologist in Miami, said Dorian’s landfall could be as far north as South Carolina, depending on how the storm moves in the next few days, according to Fox News.
We’re going to get a “windshield wiper” effect as the perpendicular landfall (⊥) will require the entire FL coast to remain vigilant. A westward track over the peninsula will do little to interrupt #Dorian and it would re-emerge into the Gulf of Mexico over bathtub warm waters. pic.twitter.com/Ff8qwbl1Wk
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) August 28, 2019
Other forecasters said it is possible the hurricane could march across Florida and grow stronger if it enters the Gulf of Mexico.
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