Hurricane Dorian’s Track Shifts Slightly West, Center Could Hit Carolinas

Hurricane Dorian’s track has shifted slightly west, and hurricane warnings are now in effect (NHC)

Hurricane Dorian has appeared to move further to the west as previously forecast, and now the U.S. National Hurricane Center is saying the storm could make landfall near the coast of South or North Carolina.

“Dorian is moving toward the northwest near 6 mph (9 km/h), and a slightly faster motion toward the northwest or north-northwest is expected tonight. A turn toward the north is forecast by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast Thursday morning,” the agency wrote in a 5 p.m. alert on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

It said the core of Dorian will move close to the east coast of Florida before tracking north along the coast of Georgia.

Then, according to NHC forecasters, the “center of Dorian is forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina Thursday through Friday morning.”

The storm has winds of 110 mph with higher gusts, enough to make it a strong Category 2 hurricane.

Dorian, over the coming days, will remain “powerful” but will become even larger despite being weaker.

“Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km),” it said.

In the United States, hurricane warnings were issued from Savannah River to Edisto Beach, South Carolina; and from South Santee River, South Carolina; to Surf City, North Carolina. A hurricane warning is also in effect for Sebastian Inlet, Florida, to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, according to the agency.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for Grand Bahama and the Abacos Islands in the northwestern Bahamas, north of Ponte Vedra Beach to the Savannah River, and in Florida from Jupiter Inlet to Sebastian Inlet.

A surfer enjoys the waves as Hurricane Dorian continues to make its way toward the Florida coast on September 02, 2019 in Boca Ration, Florida. D(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A storm surge warning is in effect from Jupiter Inlet, Florida, to Surf City, North Carolina.

A storm surge watch was in effect from north of South Santee River, South Carolina, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina.

A hurricane watch was in effect from north of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida to Edisto Beach, South Carolina as well as north of South Santee River, South Carolina, to Duck, North Carolina. It’s also in effect in Albemarle and Pamlico sounds in North Carolina, according to the NHC.

The forecast update comes after Dorian leveled several islands in the Bahamas, leaving several people dead. The storm made landfall in the Abacos Islands on Sunday with 185 mph winds before essentially stalling over the northwestern Bahamas for more than 24 hours.

More than 2 million people in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina have been warned that they have to evacuate, CBS News reported.