Florida residents still have a couple days to finalize preparations for Hurricane Dorian.  It is appearing more likely that the storm will bring life threatening storm surge to much of the state's east coast along with flooding rains and destructive winds.

As of midday Friday, Dorian is a category 2 storm but is forecast to become a category 3 hurricane later in the day as it tracks over the warm Atlantic waters.  The National Hurricane Center then forecasts Dorian to reach category 4 strength this weekend with sustained winds up to 140mph as it moves over the northern Bahamas and approaches Florida.

 

 

 

A category 4 storm can cause catastrophic damage.  Many well built homes could sustain severe damage including the loss of roof structures.   Most trees could be snapped or uprooted.  Power outages will likely last for days and even months in some cases.  Category 4 storms in the past have caused some areas to be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

The latest data into the forecast center suggests Dorian may slow down down as it approaches Florida.  Weather conditions there will deteriorate from Sunday into Monday.  However, the center of the hurricane may not make landfall until late Monday into Tuesday.   Most computer models then indicate the storm will take a northerly turn keeping the storm over Florida possibly into next week.

 

 

Here in North Carolina, Hurricane Dorian will not impact our weather through the Labor Day weekend.  The one exception is an elevated threat for dangerous surf conditions and rip currents at our beaches.  Rip currents are powerful channels of water that can pull even experienced swimmers away from shore.  Beach goers are encouraged to stay out of the water through the weekend.

Depending on when Dorian makes its northerly turn, what's left of the storm could move toward the Carolinas late next week.  Remnants of tropical systems can still produce heavy rainfall and the threat for severe storms.

Stay tuned to Weather on the 1s on Spectrum News for the latest on Dorian.  Our in-depth tropical updates air at :21 after every hour.