Hurricane Dorian shifts ‘dramatically,’ heightening concerns in the Carolinas
The projected path of Hurricane Dorian, a Category 4 storm, shifted “dramatically” to the east early Saturday, heightening concerns about torrential rain and flooding in the Carolinas.
At 5 p.m. Saturday, Dorian was less than 640 miles southeast of Charleston, chugging west at 8 mph and packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
All of South Carolina and part of North Carolina were added Saturday to the “probable path” of the storm’s center.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the forecast worsened.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Saturday lifted restrictions on transportation “to ensure critical needs like fuel, medicine and water can get to those affected by Hurricane Dorian if it hits North Carolina,” according to a news release from his office just after 5 p.m.
Cooper’s executive order also “lifted restrictions on equipment needed to repair utilities and remove debris so those tools are easier to mobilize after the storm,” according to the release.
Dorian is expected to veer northeast from well off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla., with the center of the storm possibly making landfall near Cape Fear in southeastern North Carolina, south of Wilmington, according to the latest National Hurricane Center tracking map at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Forecasters say the storm’s slow pace means the East Coast could be pummeled for days with heavy wind and torrential rain.
Dorian’s winds could reach South Carolina by 8 p.m. Monday and North Carolina by 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to the latest hurricane center forecast. The Charlotte area could see tropical storm force winds of 39 mph to 73 mph arrive by about 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to hurricane center maps of the storm.
“The risk of strong winds and life-threatening storm surge is increasing along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina during the middle of next week,” National Hurricane Center officials said in a Dorian update at 5 a.m. Saturday.
Charlotte, however, could see only an inch of rain or less, as the latest forecast track puts the city on the extreme western edge of the expected rain bands, meteorologist Scott Krentz of the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., said on Saturday afternoon. Dry air to the west could also keep the amount of rain low in the Charlotte, he said, while cautioning that Dorian’s projected track could change again.
The NWS offices in Raleigh and Columbia were being a bit more cautious on Saturday.
In an online forecast discussion, Columbia office forecasters said: “confidence is increasing that portions of the area will see heavy rainfall, but exact amounts will depend on the eventual track of Dorian.”
In Raleigh, meteorologist Brandon Dunstan said in the afternoon discussion: “It’s still a little too early to start talking about finer details, such as where the heaviest rain will fall, how strong the winds will be.” Dunstan noted that Day-5 forecasts tracks can be off by as much as 200 miles.
Packing winds of 130 mph to 156 mph, a Category 4 hurricane can cause “catastrophic damage,” according to the National Hurricane Center. “Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls,” according to the center’s website. “Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed.”
Dorian is expected to bring “life-threatening flash floods” to parts of the Bahamas and the southeastern United States this weekend and all of next week, the hurricane center warned.
“Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles,” according to the National Hurricane Center’s update at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Dorian will maintain 140 mph winds through Sunday before pivoting slowly north on Monday and gradually weakening as the storm meets dry air, Mark Malick of the South Carolina State Climate Office said Saturday morning.
Dorian could turn farther east Wednesday and “clip” Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Malick said in a storm update.
Up to 12 inches of rain could fall along the Georgia and Carolina coasts, according to the National Hurricane Center. Dorian is now expected to dump up to 6 inches on a wider swath of eastern North Carolina than earlier forecasts indicated, officials said.
Swimmers at the coast should stay alert to rip currents from the storm, according to the National Weather Service office in Newport/Morehead City. Lifeguards on Hilton Head Island, S.C., shot video of a particularly nasty one, The Island Packet reported Saturday..
South Carolina emergency shelters, closings and delays and other vital Dorian information will be listed on the South Carolina Emergency Management Division website, scemd.org.
In North Carolina, check NC Emergency Management’s Twitter and other social channels for Dorian updates.
Correspondent Steve Lyttle contributed.
This story was originally published August 31, 2019 at 9:56 AM.