Real-time Dorian storm reports, updates from Sept. 2-4
As of 11:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday, this live blog is no longer being updated. For the latest live updates on Dorian and its path along the East Coast, click here.
Hurricane Dorian began to speed up Wednesday morning as it continued to lash Florida's east coast with heavy rain and damaging winds up to 70 mph, causing power outages to increase in the state.
After dealing a heavy hand of destruction to the Bahamas, Dorian weakened into a Category 2 storm Tuesday. Maximum sustained winds were down to 105 mph early Wednesday morning, but it's forward speed increased to 8 mph. Officials have confirmed at least seven deaths following Dorian's beating in the Bahamas. But forecasters warn that even though the wind speeds are weakening, the storm still poses extreme danger to the southern coast of the United States.
Millions in coastal regions from Florida to Virginia on remained on the lookout for Dorian. With hurricane and storm surge watches and warnings lining the coast, officials are preparing residents for the worst. The first tropical storm force wind gust in the United States was recorded along the Treasure Coast of Florida on Tuesday afternoon at a station by the Sebastian Inlet.
The crawling, slow progress of the storm allowed the hurricane to spend more than 24 hours dumping rain and whipping intense winds across the Bahamas. Dorian is the slowest forward-moving major hurricane in a 24-hour period ever, and slowest since Wilma in 2005.
In the southeastern U.S., evacuations for more than two million people began on Monday afternoon. Governors from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia all signed state of emergencies and called for mandatory evacuations.
Both the storm surge warning and the storm surge watch were extended farther north, with the warning now reaching Surf City, North Carolina, and the watch now reaching Poquoson Virginia, including Hampton Roads.
A hurricane warning is in effect north of the Savannah River to Surf City.
Despite the mandatory evacuations, some residents in New Smyrna, Florida, have decided to wait out the storm.
“People who work and live here on the beach who have decided to stay behind; they tell me that they are a bit concerned with the real threat of storm surge,” AccuWeather Correspondent Bill Waddell reported. “Especially because of the speed that Dorian is moving with right now.”
“It is likely, there's been a lot of flooding down where I’m at, that’s what I’m more concerned about than anything,” Jen Pridemore, a New Smyrna Beach resident, said.
About one hour north up the Florida coast, residents in America's oldest city, St. Augustine, braced for the impacts of Hurricane Dorian. As one resident put it, a sense of the inevitable has set in there, even if landfall never happens.
"We're just in one of those towns that when a hurricane comes close to us with a six- or eight-foot surge, yes, everything's going to flood," Steven Drake said on Monday. "In a storm like this, the water comes up, and there's nowhere for it to go."
Scenes from all around St. Augustine on Monday showed businesses boarded up and fortified by sandbags as Dorian hovered a little more than 100 miles off Florida's Atlantic coast.
The effects of the hurricane have already made a large impact on many in the Southeast several days before the storm had even arrived. In Florida, a Rolling Stones concert had to be rescheduled in Miami, a college football game in Jacksonville had to be relocated to Tallahassee and Walt Disney World made the decision to close all of its parks at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, a rare decision for the company who has only closed three times since 1971, according to CNBC.
Even though the eye wall of the storm is expected to remain offshore, powerful winds and tropical storm conditions along the Florida and Georgia coasts are expected during the first half of the week. Dorian is forecast to slowly weaken along much of its northeastward route from Georgia to North Carolina waters. The hurricane is likely to be a Category 1 near North Carolina during Friday morning.
5:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
Dorian strengthened slightly and is just shy of a Category 3 hurricane. The storm is located about 150 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 110-mph moving at 8-mph.
One storm-related death occurred in Columbus County, North Carolina after an 85-year-old man fell off of a ladder while preparing his home for Dorian, Gov. Roy Cooper said.
A mandatory evacuation was issued in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, as Dorian closes in on the coast.
"I'm not going to take a chance," Wrightsville Beach resident Frank Lindsay said. "It looks calm right now, but that's very deceptive."
5 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
Anna Huntsinger from St. Paul, Minnesota, is in Charleston, S.C., and talked about staying in Charleston for Dorian. "We're actually visiting my parents. My mom and dad moved here two months ago," she said. "So it's their first hurricane experience and our first experience."
4:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
Tuesday, nearly 2,000 flights across the U.S. were canceled, more than 1,400 others were delayed, according to FlightAware.com. It is estimated that 92 percent of the 1,728 flights canceled were either headed into or out of Orlando International Airport (MCO). Wednesday, these were the numbers:
4:15 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
Hurricane Dorian has not only brought wind and rain: it has also brought bricks of cocaine. As CBS New reported, police confirmed that 25 kilos of cocaine washed ashore on nearby Cocoa Beach. Some “DIAMANTS” were also found near Paradise Beach Park.
3:45 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in Florida is reporting storm surge damage at Hanna Park and Huguenot Park. On Wednesday morning, an incident was reported in Neptune Beach in which a lifeguard saved a woman who was standing on shore and was knocked down by a strong current, and pulled into the water.
3:20 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
This is just amazing ðâ¬ï¸. Click the image to watch the full story:
3:00 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
Dorian is the most formidable tropical system in the Atlantic basin right now by far, but it's hardly alone: Tropical Storm Fernand made landfall in Mexico on Wednesday, and Tropical Storm Gabrielle formed over the open Atlantic, making it a full three-ring circus. And over the in the Pacific basin a tropical depression is budding, following already formed Hurricane Juliette.
2:38 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
Corporate America is mobilizing to help in response to Hurricane Dorian. Lowe's sent 3,000 supply trucks to coastal areas in preparation for the storm. Disney has pledged "more than $1 million in cash and in-kind support to help relief and recovery efforts for those in the Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian," the company announced on Facebook. The cruise line Royal Caribbean announced on Twitter it is pledging $1 million to rebuilding efforts. And Airbnb is offering free housing to Hurricane Dorian evacuees.
If you'd like to help, here are a few ways you can contribute to relief efforts.
2:17 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
Heavy rain from Hurricane Dorian was falling in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday as the storm moved north parallel to the coast of the southeastern U.S.
1:20 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) zoomed in on the eye of Dorian as it moved parallel to the coast of northeastern Florida.
Sustained tropical-storm-force winds have been reported in Jacksonville, with a wind gust up to 55 mph observed.
Officials in Florida continued to warn residents of the dangers from the storm, even Dorian's track shifts farther away from the state.
“The images coming in from the Bahamas are gut wrenching, but show exactly how fortunate Florida has been with this storm, however, there will still be impacts in Florida from Hurricane Dorian,” said Florida Department of Emergency Management director Jared Moskowitz.
“Throughout tonight and tomorrow, our state will still experience storm surge, high winds and other impacts along the coast, and I urge every Floridian to take these threats seriously. For the entirety of this storm, Florida has had great support from the federal government and other states, and we will continue to work closely with FEMA, other state agencies, legislators and our local partners to make sure we are coordinating every effort.”
12:48 p.m. EDT Wednesday:
Forecasting hurricanes is a team sport. Take a peek behind the curtains of AccuWeather's Global Weather Center and see how meteorologists approach forecasting tricky storms like Dorian.
11:58 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Delta Airlines announced that it is set to restart standard operations in Orlando and West Palm Beach today with Hurricane Dorian having passed by. Airports in Daytona Beach, Melbourne and Jacksonville, Florida, will all remain closed.
Delta also previously announced that it has extended flight waivers for travelers going to the Bahamas through September 21 because of damage the islands received from Dorian.
10:22 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
AccuWeather captured the first aerial images of Marsh Harbour in the wake of Dorian. The scenes of destruction there are, as national reporter Jonathan Petramala put it, "just heartbreaking."
9:55 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
One of the most heart-pounding moments to come out of the Bahamas resulted from a photojournalist becoming part of the story. A photographer working for The Associated Press in Freeport shot video and photos of himself and his 21-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son fleeing their home as Dorian's storm surge rapidly inundated the area. He captured the tense moments on camera as his daughter, Julia, carried their dogs out of the home through chest-deep water.
9:36 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Dorian finally pulled out of the Bahamas after pummeling the island nation for two days. Even as the sun comes back out there, survivors will face a host of challenges in the coming days and weeks. Here's a look at the long road to recovery ahead.
9:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Boy, 6, donates money he was saving for a trip to Disney to help Hurricane Dorian evacuees. We may not all be as altruistic as little Jermaine Bell is, but if you want to help out with Dorian relief efforts, here are a few ways you can make a difference.
8:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
As Hurricane Dorian slowly churns along the Florida coast, many evacuation orders went up. One woman in Jacksonville, whose home has been impacted by flooding in previous hurricanes, was refusing to evacuate, however, and instead came up with an unusual way to protect her home from Dorian's expected floodwaters. But will it work?
5:12 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
People in South Florida, who themselves were spared from the destructive path of Dorian, are pitching in to help the Bahamas recover, donating essentials such as clean drinking water and canned goods, according to the Associated Press.
At the 5 a.m. update from the NHC, Dorian's maximum sustained wind speeds are still at 105 mph while the core of the storm has moved about 10 miles closer to Daytona Beach, Florida.
4:35 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Dorian finally pulled out of the Bahamas after pummeling the island nation for two days. Even as the sun comes back out there, survivors will face a host of challenges in the coming days and weeks. Here's a look at the long road to recovery ahead.
4 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
An update issued by NHC states that Dorian's maximum sustained winds are down to 105 mph as the center of the storm lies 100 miles east of Daytona Beach, Florida. These winds are still within Category 2 hurricane strength.
3:10 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Power outages have increased to over 14,000 customers across Florida, according to poweroutage.us. This is up from around 10,000 customers around 11 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says that Dorian has maintained Category 2 hurricane strength. Wind gusts have come close to hurricane force (74 mph or greater) at New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
1:25 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Volusia County Emergency Management in Florida reports that all bridges in the county are now closed to eastbound traffic, with the exception of emergency vehicles. Daytona Beach is located in Volusia County.
Meanwhile, a Flood Advisory is in effect for portions of Volusia, Lake and Orange counties through 3 a.m. EDT, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Melbourne, Florida.
"The rain band moving into these counties has already produced a quick 1-2 [inches] of rain. Watch for ponding of water on roadways, especially as this band moves farther [southwest]," the NWS said on Twitter.
Streets and parking lots are reportedly underwater near Fort Pierce, Florida, due to rising tide levels and Dorian.
12 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
The National Hurricane Center said that a sustained wind of 56 mph and a gust of 76 mph was recently reported at a NOAA buoy located about 140 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida. At Canaveral Point, Florida, a sustained wind of 49 mph and a gust of 62 mph was also reported.
10:22 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
AccuWeather captured the first aerial images of Marsh Harbour in the wake of Dorian. The scenes of destruction there are, as national reporter Jonathan Petramala put it, "just heartbreaking."
9:55 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
One of the most heart-pounding moments to come out of the Bahamas resulted from a photojournalist becoming part of the story. A photographer working for The Associated Press in Freeport shot video and photos of himself and his 21-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son fleeing their home as Dorian's storm surge rapidly inundated the area. He captured the tense moments on camera as his daughter, Julia, carried their dogs out of the home through chest-deep water.
9:36 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Dorian finally pulled out of the Bahamas after pummeling the island nation for two days. Even as the sun comes back out there, survivors will face a host of challenges in the coming days and weeks. Here's a look at the long road to recovery ahead.
9:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Boy, 6, donates money he was saving for a trip to Disney to help Hurricane Dorian evacuees. We may not all be as altruistic as little Jermaine Bell is, but if you want to help out with Dorian relief efforts, here are a few ways you can make a difference.
8:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
As Hurricane Dorian slowly churns along the Florida coast, many evacuation orders went up. One woman in Jacksonville, who's home has been impacted by flooding in previous hurricanes, was refusing to evacuate however, and instead came up with an unusual way to protect her home from Dorian's expected floodwaters. But will it work?
5:12 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
People in South Florida, who themselves were spared from the destructive path of Dorian, are pitching in to help the Bahamas recover, donating essentials such as clean drinking water and canned goods, according to the Associated Press.
At the 5 a.m. update from the NHC, Dorian's maximum sustained wind speeds are still at 105 mph while the core of the storm has moved about 10 miles closer to Daytona Beach, Florida.
4:35 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Dorian finally pulled out of the Bahamas after pummeling the island nation for two days. Even as the sun comes back out there, survivors will face a host of challenges in the coming days and weeks. Here's a look at the long road to recovery ahead.
4 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
An update issued by NHC states that Dorian's maximum sustained winds are down to 105 mph as the center of the storm lies 100 miles east of Daytona Beach, Florida. These winds are still within Category 2 hurricane strength.
3:10 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Power outages have increased to over 14,000 customers across Florida, according to poweroutage.us. This is up from around 10,000 customers around 11 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says that Dorian has maintained Category 2 hurricane strength. Wind gusts have come close to hurricane-force (74 mph or greater) at New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
1:25 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
Volusia County Emergency Management in Florida reports that all bridges in the county are now closed to eastbound traffic, with the exception of emergency vehicles. Daytona Beach is located in Volusia County.
Meanwhile, a Flood Advisory is in effect for portions of Volusia, Lake, and Orange counties through 3 a.m. EDT, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Melbourne, Florida.
"The rain band moving into these counties has already produced a quick 1-2 [inches] of rain. Watch for ponding of water on roadways, especially as this band moves farther [southwest]," the NWS said on Twitter.
Streets and parking lots are reportedly underwater near Fort Pierce, Florida, due to rising tide levels and Dorian.
12 a.m. EDT Wednesday:
The National Hurricane Center said that a sustained wind of 56 mph and a gust of 76 mph was recently reported at a NOAA buoy located about 140 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida. At Canaveral Point, Florida, a sustained wind of 49 mph and a gust of 62 mph was also reported.
11 p.m. EDT Tuesday:
The latest advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center reports that Dorian has maintained its Category 2 hurricane strength with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. The storm is located about 95 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and is moving north-northwest at 6 mph.
As the outer bands of Dorian are hitting eastern and central parts of Florida, power outages are starting to mount. Poweroutage.us reports that around 10,000 customers are in the dark statewide.
9 p.m. EDT Tuesday:
Two additional deaths in the Bahamas have been confirmed by the Associated Press, which now brings the total of confirmed deaths to seven.
Dorian is the slowest forward-moving major hurricane in a 24-hour period ever, and slowest since Wilma in 2005.
8 p.m. EDT Tuesday:
Dorian is slashing the central Florida east coast, located about 110 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida with maximum sustained winds of 110-mph moving at 6-mph.
Hurricane Dorian as of 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday. (GOES-East/NOAA)
6:55 p.m. EDT Tuesday:
Winds are increasing along Florida's east coast, approaching hurricane-force in some areas.
6:08 p.m. EDT Tuesday:
A waterspout or tornado is possible just south of Palm Bay as a rain band associated with Hurricane Dorian moves onshore. People in the area need to seek shelter immediately.
5:20 p.m. EDT Tuesday:
Dorian continues to inch northwest-ward at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. The hurricane warnings for the coast of the southeastern U.S. have been extended northward into North Carolina. this includes areas around Wilmington, North Carolina.
3:55 p.m. EDT Tuesday:
Conditions are slowly deteriorating along Florida's east-central coast as Dorian slowly shifts toward the northwest. Tropical storm-force winds have been observed from Jacksonville to near Miami as the outer bands from Dorian track over Florida.
Airports across the area are closed, including Orlando International Airport.
2:50 p.m. EDT Tuesday:
Approximately 244,000 people have evacuated coastal areas of South Carolina that are expected to be impacted by Hurricane Dorian, according to the South Carolina Secretay of Transportation Christy Hall. This is around one-third of the total population of the areas under evacuation orders.
2:28 p.m. EDT Tuesday:
The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and North Perry Airport in South Florida resumed operations at noon Tuesday.
In Orlando, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority has fully activated the airport's emergency operations center. The airport closed at 2 a.m. Tuesday.
According to flight tracking service FlightAware, more than 700 flights have been canceled in Orlando on Tuesday, while nearly 200 have already been canceled on Wednesday.
1:07 p.m. EDT Tuesday
The first tropical storm force wind gusts have been recorded along the Treasure Coast of Florida. A station at the Sebastian Inlet recorded a gust of 49 mph.
12:23 p.m. EDT Tuesday
According to the National Hurricane Center, the most likely times for Dorian's winds to arrive over the next three days are on Tuesday night in Florida, Wednesday in Georgia, late Wednesday in South Carolina and Thursday in North Carolina.
10:59 a.m. EDT Tuesday
Dorian has weakened to a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained wind speeds recorded at 110 mph. A Storm Surge Warning has also been extended northward to South Santee River in South Carolina, while a Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Cape Lookout, North Carolina.
10:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday
Myrtle Beach International Airport and Charleston International Airport are remaining open and operating as usual, per their websites.
"We are working closely with the Air Force monitoring the latest weather conditions, as well as our airline tenants, and will update travelers of any closures," Charleston states on its homepage. "We strongly recommend that passengers stay in direct contact with their airlines for up to date information on flight cancellations."
9:15 a.m. EDT Tuesday
In Florida, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Orlando Melbourne International Airport, Daytona Beach International Airport and Orlando International Airport are closed, as over 400 total flights were canceled from the major airports, according to Flight Aware.
"In close consultation with the National Weather Service, airlines and airport stakeholders, airport leadership has determined it is in the best interest of the Orlando International Airport passengers and employees to cease operations," the Orlando International Airport said in a statement posted on Twitter. "Because of the uncertainty of the storm's track and the need to complete storm preparations by airport and air carriers, airport executive leadership has determined ceasing commercial operations is necessary."
4 a.m. EDT Tuesday
Dorian continues to remain nearly stationary along the northern shores of Grand Bahama Island. Citizens of Freeport continue to feel the effects of the southwest side of the eye wall. The 4 a.m. National Hurricane Center has kept Dorian a strong category 3 hurricane with top sustained winds of 120 mph.
2 a.m. EDT Tuesday
The 2 a.m. National Hurricane Center update keeps Hurricane Dorian as a powerful category 3 hurricane, with winds topping 120 mph. The storm continues to remain stationary as it continues to pound Grand Bahama Island.
1 a.m. EDT Tuesday
The 1 a.m. National Hurricane Center update has downgraded Hurricane Dorian to a powerful Category 3 storm with winds of 125 mph. The storm is still stationary along the northern coast of Grand Bahama Island. Sustained winds of 47 mph have also been reported along the Juno Beach Pier in northern Palm County, Florida. This marks the first arrival of tropical storm-force winds in Florida.
11 p.m. EDT Monday
Dorian is about 30 miles north-northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, and about 100 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida. The hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, which ranks the storm as a Category 4, however if it weakens by 1 mph it will be a Category 3 hurricane.
The hurricane has been stationary since 5 p.m. EDT Monday.
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