Hurricane Dorian has begun moving north, finally starting to lessen the impact on Grand Bahama Island.  The strongest winds have diminished to 110 mph, but the wind field has expanded and now covers 60 miles from center.  The storm surge along the U.S. Southeast is anticipated to be very significant through all tide cycles.

At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the center of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 27.7 North, longitude 78.7 West. 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.

On this track, the core of Hurricane Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast tonight through Wednesday night. The center of Dorian is forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina Thursday through Friday morning.

Maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph (175 km/h) with higher gusts. Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days.

Dorian has become a larger hurricane. 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). (more)

If you are near the southeastern coast of the United States please pay attention to the instructions from local officials.  If you are in the mid-Atlantic region, your preparation should be rushed to completion. Anyone asked to evacuate please follow the advice your local officials.  No-one likes to leave their home; but safety must be the number one priority.

In the next several days recovery crews will begin reaching Grand Bahama Island.  Our thoughts and prayers are with those residents who survived two days of sustained hurricane ferocity; and our appreciation for those who now head into the aftermath as they attempt to rescue and recover.