Hurricane Dorian: Cat 2 storm headed north and away from Florida

Hurricane Dorian is passing Florida, but not before swiping the coast with tropical storm winds and several feet of storm surge.

The storm was about 95 miles east of Daytona Beach and is 135 miles east-southeast of Jacksonville as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph with higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. Wednesday advisory.

The storm’s center is moving north-northwest parallel to the northeastern coast of Florida at 8 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane-force winds are extending up to 60 miles from the center with its tropical storm-force winds are extending outward up to 175 miles.

Forecasters expect the storm to continue speeding up and losing steam as it heads north, where it could potentially swipe the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas as a Category 2 storm, before dissipating in cooler northern waters.

While those living along Florida’s east coast saw some tropical and hurricane storm conditions, Florida was largely spared by the monster storm, which left devastation in the Bahamas. The U.S. Coast Guard continues to rescue people, and nonprofits and local governments throughout South Florida have begun collecting donations for Bahamians.

What is Dorian doing now?

Florida is not in the storm’s cone of concern but Dorian is still “dangerously close” to the southeast U.S. coast, according to the National Hurricane Center, increasing the risk of “life-threatening” storm surge, flooding rains, destructive winds, surf and rip currents along portions of Florida’s east coast up to the Carolinas, regardless of the storm’s expected track. Those living in the immediate east coast of Florida also have a chance for tornadoes through Wednesday night.

Those living in South Florida can breathe a sigh of relief, but those along the state’s northeastern coast are waking up to tropical storm conditions Wednesday morning, with hurricane conditions expected later in the day somewhere along the Volusia/Brevard County line to Ponte Vedra Beach, which is still under a hurricane warning.

Forecasters expect to see two to four feet of storm surge from the Sebastian Inlet to the Volusia/Brevard County Line and three to five feet of storm surge from the county line all the way up to the Savannah River. They also expect to see three to six inches of rain from Daytona Beach to the Georgia-South Carolina border.

Watches/Warnings

Parts of Florida are still under storm surge, hurricane and tropical storm warnings. Those warnings have also extended along the southeast U.S. coast.

▪ A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for those living along the Sebastian Inlet to Surf City, North Carolina.

▪ A Storm Surge Watch is in effect north of Surf City, North Carolina to Poquoson, Virginia, including Hampton Roads Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, Neuse and Pamlico Rivers.

▪ A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the Volusia/Brevard County line to Ponte Vedra Beach. Those living north of Savannah River to Surf City, North Carolina are also under a warning.

▪ A hurricane watch is in effect for those living north of Ponte Vedra Beach to Savannah River and those north of Surf City, North Carolina to the North Carolina/Virginia Border and Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds.

▪ A tropical storm warning is in effect from the Sebastian Inlet to the Volusia/Brevard County line and for those living north of Ponte Vedra Beach to Savannah River.

▪ A tropical storm watch is in effect for the North Carolina/Virginia Border to Chincoteague, Virginia and from Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point Southward.