Hurricane Dorian Forms, Forecast to Hit US

Coastal Watches/Warnings and Forecast Cone for Hurricane Dorian. (National Hurricane Center)

Hurricane Dorian has formed and is expected to impact the United States.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), in its 2 p.m. update, said Dorian formed on Aug. 28.

The storm, a Category 1, currently has 75 mph winds and is moving northwest at 13 mph, the agency said.

Dorian’s cone of probability suggests that the storm could move north of the Bahamas and make landfall in Florida.

Hurricane warnings are in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and Vieques and Culebra. A hurricane watch is in effect for Puerto Rico, which is also under a tropical storm warning.

On its current track, “Dorian should continue to move near or over the U.S. and British Virgin Islands this afternoon and then move over the open Atlantic well east of the southeastern Bahamas,” the NHC wrote.

Dorian is predicted to strengthen over the next several days as it moves across Atlantic waters.

In terms of rainfall, the storm is expected to dump 4 to 8 inches in parts of the United States and up to 10 inches in other isolated areas.

Meanwhile, “Swells are expected to increase later today across the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and along the southern coasts of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, and they could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office,” the NHC said.

Dorian prompted President Donald Trump to declare a state of emergency Tuesday night and order federal assistance for local authorities, The Associated Press reported.

Virgin Islands Hit

At 2 p.m. EDT, Dorian was located over St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said it had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) while moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph). The Hurricane Center said the storm could grow into a dangerous Category 3 storm as it pushes northwest in the general direction of Florida.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, which is still struggling to recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria, officials were reporting power outages and light rain by 1:30 p.m. EDT.

“Winds have picked up significantly. We’re starting to get some of those heavier gusts,” the governor’s spokesman, Richard Motta, said in a telephone interview.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.