Hurricane Dorian expected to hit Bahamas as 'devastating' storm, then shift toward Carolinas

Hurricane Dorian expected to hit Bahamas as 'devastating' storm, then shift toward Carolinas

By Max Burman, Linda Givetash and Janelle Griffith

Aug. 31, 2019, 8:14 AM ET / Updated Aug. 31, 2019, 4:10 PM ET

Hurricane Dorian strengthened and shifted slightly early Saturday, setting it on course to potentially miss a direct hit with Florida and make landfall in the Carolinas.

The Bahamas, meanwhile, braced for the powerful Category 4 storm to move near or directly over parts of the country on Sunday, prompting officials there to urge residents to evacuate areas most at risk.
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Dorian's maximum sustained winds increased to nearly 150 miles per hour with even higher gusts, which brings it close to a Category 5 storm, defined as having winds 157 miles per hour or higher.

The northwestern Bahamas are expected to start feeling the effects of the hurricane as early as 2 a.m. Sunday, officials said.

"On its present track, it’s expected that the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama will be seriously impacted by Hurricane Dorian on Sunday, Sunday night and into Monday," said Jeffrey Simmons of the country's meteorology agency. "This is a very strong and dangerous hurricane."

About 73,000 people and 21,000 homes are at risk, with a potential storm surge of 10 to 15 feet, the country's prime minister, Hubert Minnis said.

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Dorian strengthened to a potentially devastating Category 4 storm Friday evening as it continued to churn in the Atlantic Ocean on course to the southeastern United States early next week.

The National Hurricane Center announced early Saturday that "there's been a notable change overnight to the forecast of Dorian after Tuesday" with its veering away from Florida, but the stressed that the shift does not rule out the possibility of the storm making landfall on the Sunshine State's coast.

"It’s important to stress that this doesn’t paint Florida as out of the woods yet," said Kathryn Prociv, a meteorologist for NBC News. "Florida is still very much in the red zone."

Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina are now at risk of strong winds and dangerous storm surge in the middle of next week.

Dorian will continue westward through the weekend but is then forecast to turn northward as it approaches the east coast of Florida early next week, the center said. It will bring "risks of life-threatening storm surge, devastating hurricane-force winds, heavy rainfall and flooding along its path."

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President Donald Trump said ...

More at the link.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hurricane-dorian-strengthens-shifts-towards-carolinas-florida-forecast-avoid-direct-n1048601
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