Hurricane Dorian expected to begin slow turn Tuesday as threat to Carolinas remains
A tense holiday weekend ended with millions of residents waiting anxiously for a slightly weakened Hurricane Dorian to make an expected turn that would spare the Florida coast the worst of its deadly fury.
That turn, however, could increase the threat to the Carolinas, forecasters said.
Late Monday, the Category 4 storm remained stationary just north of Grand Bahama Island, prolonging its devastating effects. At least five people have died, and emergency officials were waiting for the ferocious storm to abate before attempting rescues.
Dorian was expected to begin slowly turning to the northwest early Tuesday, followed by a turn north by late Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 11 p.m. Monday.
Although the storm is expected to slowly weaken as it moves along the coast of the southeastern U.S., it is still “forecast to remain a powerful hurricane,” the hurricane center said.
Dorian will likely come “dangerously close” to Florida’s east coast late Tuesday through Wednesday evening, be “very near” the Georgia and South Carolina coasts Wednesday night and Thursday, and “near or over” the North Carolina coast late Thursday and Friday, forecasters said.
Strong winds and heavy rain were forecast to arrive in Georgia and South Carolina late Wednesday, and the risk of life-threatening storm surges and hurricane-force winds along the North Carolina coast continued to grow, forecasters said.
Up to 10 inches of rain were possible along the Carolina coast, with 15 inches in some spots. The Atlantic coast from the Florida peninsula through Georgia could see as much as 8 inches of rain, and officials were bracing for a dangerous storm surge and flooding in northeast Florida.
By 11 p.m. Monday, Dorian’s sustained winds had dropped to 130 mph, more than 50 mph less than when the storm made landfall in the northwest Bahamas. But those winds could reach a wider area than believed.
“It is still possible for the hurricane to deviate from this forecast, and move very near or over the coast,” the hurricane center said. “Users are reminded not to focus on the exact forecast track.
“In addition, Dorian’s wind field is predicted to expand, which would bring hurricane-force winds closer to the east coast of Florida even if the track does change.”
Regardless of the center’s exact track, “hurricane-force winds” and “a life-threatening storm surge” are still expected to hit the Carolinas, the hurricane center says.
“Users are reminded that the hurricane is not a point, and that life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds extend far from the center,” it said in the update.
Hurricane-force winds extend 45 miles from the center of the storm and tropical-storm force winds extend 150 miles, the National Hurricane Center says.
Tropical-storm force winds are expected to reach South Carolina by 8 a.m. Wednesday and North Carolina by 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. predictions on Monday.
As the storm continues to be a threat, the Carolinas are preparing for its impact.
Both states have declared a state of emergency, and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has ordered a mandatory evacuation by noon Monday for those in evacuation zones A and B in coastal South Carolina.
Hyde and Dare counties in North Carolina have both enacted a state of emergency while Dare County, in the Outer Banks, is under a mandatory evacuation that will start for visitors at noon Tuesday and for residents at 6 a.m. Wednesday, the Charlotte Observer reported Monday.
Hyde County also ordered a mandatory evacuation for Ocracoke Island visitors by 5 a.m. Tuesday and for residents by 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Bald Head Island in North Carolina has also declared a state of emergency and ordered all renters and day visitors to evacuate.
The goats that live on Goat Island are being evacuated from the island at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Murrells Inlet confirmed on its official Facebook page Monday.
New Hanover County in eastern North Carolina will be opening its Emergency Operations Center and all county offices will be closed starting Tuesday. Brunswick County Schools in eastern North Carolina will be dismissing students early on Tuesday.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has reversed I-26 lanes for evacuation purposes.
Charlotte Observer reporter Mark Price contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 2, 2019 at 11:12 PM with the headline "Hurricane Dorian expected to begin slow turn Tuesday as threat to Carolinas remains."