ABC News(NEW YORK) — Dangerous Hurricane Dorian is barreling toward the Southeast U.S., where residents from Florida to the Carolinas are bracing for possible impact.
Here’s what people can expect, according to the latest forecast.
Florida
Dorian is forecast to move “dangerously close” to Florida’s east coast Tuesday night through Wednesday evening.
Flooding, winds and storm surge will be the biggest threats to Florida’s east coast over the next few days. Isolated tornadoes are also possible through Tuesday.
Hurricane Dorian is finally starting to slowly move northwestward away from Grand Bahama Island. At 9 am Dorian was located 45 mi NNE of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island or 105 mi ENE of West Palm Beach FL. Max sustained winds were 115 mph and the central pressure 954 mb/28.17 pic.twitter.com/kHi0HhnwH5
— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) September 3, 2019
“Hurricane Dorian is the strongest storm to ever threaten the state of Florida on the east coast,” said Jared Moskowitz, director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management. “No matter what path this storm takes, our state will be impacted.”
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in many coastal counties.
“People need to remain vigilant. If you’re ordered to evacuate, you need to do that,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday. “Get out now while you have time.”
Our #Soldiers and #Airmen are all over the state, ready for whatever Hurricane #Dorian brings our way. #FloridaFirst #RightReadyRelevant #FLNGAlwaysThere #HurricaneDorian pic.twitter.com/nH3ndR1yOI
— FloridaNationalGuard (@FLGuard) September 3, 2019
Georgia
Dorian will then be close to the Georgia and South Carolina shorelines Wednesday night into Thursday.
Those in the Savannah area are urged to prepare for heavy rains, flooding and strong winds.
Storm surge is a major threat to the Georgia coastline, possibly reaching up to 7 feet.
Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered evacuations for residents east of Interstate 95 in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh Counties.
South Carolina & North Carolina
Dorian is forecast to move near or over North Carolina’s coast Thursday night.
The hurricane is expected to weaken as it nears Wilmington, North Carolina, and could potentially make landfall Thursday night on the Outer Banks.
The heaviest rainfall from Dorian is expected to hit the coastal Carolinas, where up to 15 inches of rain is possible.
South Carolina’s governor issued an evacuation order for the state’s coastal residents. A mandatory evacuation order was issued Monday for North Carolina’s Outer Banks as well.
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