With category 4 strengh, “extremely dangerous,” Hurricane Dorian continues to advance in the Atlantic but slightly changed its course on Saturday morning which could potentially prevent Florida from receiving all its strength, even though it would land in the Carolinas.
“There has been a notable overnight change in Dorian’s forecast,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported on Twitter. However, the center does not rule out the possibility of the storm hitting land on the Florida coast.
At 8 Eastern Time (1200 GMT) on Saturday, Dorian’s Vortex was 280 miles east of West Palm Beach. The storm was moving westbound at 12 mph. The slow progress means that Florida could face torrential rains, swells and strong winds for longer periods.
The Bahamas is also on alert. The authorities urged residents of the lowest keys on Saturday to evacuate their homes. It is estimated that some two thousand to three thousand people live in the small keys of the Abaco Islands.
Food and bottled water quickly disappeared from the stores while the echo of the hammers of the residents who protected their houses with planks echoed. Dorian is expected to hit the northwestern part of the Bahamas on Sunday with potentially lethal storm surge.
In Florida, gas stations and stores are empty when residents and visitors of the area, one of the most important in the country, were preparing for the arrival of the hurricane.
The millions of people living in the state, where Walt Disney World and President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club reside, are in the spotlight of the powerful hurricane.
According to NHC forecasts, Dorian, which has maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, could hit the region with even more intense winds and torrential rains on Monday night or early Tuesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shared a video of Hurricane Dorian at dawn this Saturday, seen from its GOES16 satellite.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that they still do not know if Dorian will make a direct and potentially devastating impact on the east coast of the state. Some of the most reliable computer models predict a turn in the path to the north.
“There is hope,” said Weather Underground meteorology director Jeff Masters.
Weak but encouraging signs emerged after a day when Dorian seemed more frightening in each new weather report. It increased it’s strength to category 4 and there were fears that it could become the most powerful hurricane to hit the east coast of Florida in almost 30 years.
Trump declared a state of emergency in Florida and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate disaster assistance actions.
President Donald Trump told the press that “Mar-a-Lago can take care for itself” and that Florida worried him more.
