Hurricane Dorian, which was upgraded over the weekend to a Category 5, hit the Bahamas with record sustained wind speeds of 185 MPH on Sunday. As the hurricane battered the Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands, authorities in Florida issued mandatory evacuations for multiple counties Sunday, including Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie Counties. Among the high-profile places under the evacuation order is Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. As a developing eyewall replacement cycle threatens to broaden Dorian’s wind field, the threat of wind and storm surge to Florida is increasing.
Dorian slowly churned over Abaco Island on Sunday, resulting in massive flooding and catastrophic damage. The Category 5 hurricane continued to wreak havoc on the islands Monday, as reported by the Associated Press.
“Hurricane Dorian hovered over the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with a fearsome Category 5 assault that shredded roofs, hurled cars and forced even rescue crews to take shelter until the onslaught passes,” AP reported Monday morning. “The storm’s top sustained winds fell slightly to 165 mph (270 kph), and its westward movement slowed almost to a standstill. The system crawled along Grand Bahama Island at just 1 mph (2 kph).”
Weather Underground reported in a Monday morning update that Dorian’s stall location “increases the probability that the hurricane will turn north in time to miss a direct landfall in Florida, but a developing eyewall replacement cycle (ERC) may broaden Dorian’s wind field, increasing the wind and storm surge threat to Florida.” – READ MORE