Hurricane Dorian strengthening and shifted slightly early this morning, setting it on course to 'potentially MISS' a direct hit with Florida and make landfall in the Carolinas. At 2:00 pm, this severe hurricane continues heading for the northwestern Bahama with life-threatening storm surge and winds.
A small shift could still bring the very dangerous core of the storm inland to Florida, however GEORGIA and THE CAROLINAS can expect a stronger impact from the storm - probably on Wednesday.
Forecasters say it does not rule out the possibility of the storm making landfall on the Florida coast, so remain informed and cautious. Do not make any snap judgments about risks at this time, Florida is still in the cone of uncertainty. Keep your radio tuned for the latest information.
Currently there is a Hurricane Warning in effect for Northwestern Bahamas excluding Andros Island, a Hurricane Watch is in effect for Andros Island.
At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC) 8/31/2019, the distinct eye of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 26.1 North, longitude 73.9 West. Dorian is moving toward the west near 8 mph (13 km/h), and a slower westward motion should continue into early next week. On this track, the core of Dorian should move over the Atlantic well north of the southeastern and central Bahamas today, be near or over the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday, and move near the Florida east coast late Monday through Tuesday.
Data from an Air Force reconnaissance plane indicate that the maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph (240 km/h) with higher gusts. Dorian is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely, but Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next few days.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 km).