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The outer bands of rain that encircle Dorian are now lapping at Florida and Georgia, reminding residents of coastal communities there of the storm to come. The slow-moving, massive hurricane has been dominating headlines recently after unloading a torrential and unprecedented downpour on the Bahamas.
Now, it’s on track to impact the Southeastern US with Category 2 speeds.
The storm has already had some damaging impact on the US: beach erosion at Flagler Beach and Vero Beach, water damage from storm surge on Hutchinson Island and water levels three inches over the seawall at Palm Coast.
Another concern before the storm even makes landfall are the outer rain bands of the storm. As the storm spins closer to the coast, it can spin off outer storms that bring torrential rainfall. Due to their spinning motion, it’s more likely that these storm cell can create strong, short-lived tornadoes as they pass over land.
It’s most likely that the storm will continue on its current heading, directly into the Eastern coast of Florida, southeastern Georgia and the South Carolinian coast. The storm is also predicted to strike as far north as parts of North Carolina with its initial landfall, before making a slow crawl north, up the East Coast, and threatening parts of Virginia.
Hurricane warnings are in effect from Brevard County to Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida, as well as the entire coast of South Carolina. This means cities like Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston are all predicted to be directly in the path of the storm. The warning is also in effect all the way north to Surf City, North Carolina.
Hurricane warnings mean that 74 mph or faster wind speeds are expected to be in the area in the next 36 hours. As such, people living in areas with a hurricane warning active need to rush to complete steps needed to protect themselves, their family and their property. If there is an evacuation warning for your region, you need to heed it as quickly and safely as you can.
