Hurricane Dorian heads for the US mainland

Our live coverage has moved. You can find?the latest updates on Hurricane Dorian here.

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, Hurricane Dorian was still moving west at just 8 mph, per the National Hurricane Center’s updated advisory.

At that time the storm remained a Category 4 with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. That’s just 7 mph shy of Category 5.

“Some fluctuations in intensity are likely,” the hurricane center said, “but Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next few days.”

A hurricane warning remained in effect for the northwestern Bahamas, and a hurricane watch was in effect for the Bahamas’ Andros Island, the center said. A stretch of Florida’s coast between Deerfield Beach and Sebastian Inlet was still under a tropical storm watch.

You can see more at the link in the National Hurricane Center’s tweet below:

Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia, is offering free admission to hurricane evacuees through Labor Day weekend.

Folks looking to take them up on the offer will need proof of residency or a valid ID from the Florida counties under evacuation orders, the theme park said in a Facebook post.

The park has welcomed hurricane evacuees in past years, according to spokesman Adam Floyd.

“We’ve seen first-hand how just a few moments of fun can put smiles on kids’ faces and provide some relief for families who are going through a difficult time,” Floyd told CNN. “That can make a real difference for families who have traveled a good distance and may not know exactly what is going on back home.”

More than 100 evacuees visited the park on Saturday, Floyd said.

Evacuees can check this list of counties to see if they’re eligible for free admission.

Gov. Roy Cooper has ordered emergency measures ahead of Hurricane Dorian, telling North Carolinians they need to be prepared for the storm.

The Governor’s office said his executive order 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” and ?“lifts restrictions on equipment needed to repair utilities and remove debris” to help mobilization after the storm has passed.

In a news release, Cooper said:

See more in a tweet from Gov. Cooper below:

Martin County, Florida, won’t issue a mandatory evacuation order at 10 a.m. on Sunday as originally planned, and shelters will not open, Martin Fire Rescue Chief William Schobel said during an afternoon press conference.

Schobel said beaches will remain closed. He also said evacuations will be re-evaluated Monday because Martin County won’t see the impacts of Dorian until 6 p.m. that evening.

“It is still a dangerous storm, I don’t think we can exhale just yet,”?Cpt. John Perez with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.

Ginger Featherstone, deputy superintendent of the Martin County School District, said there will be no school Tuesday, but hopes they will reopen Wednesday.

A stretch of Florida’s east coast, from Deerfield Beach to Sebastian Inlet, has been placed under a tropical storm watch, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory on Hurricane Dorian.

The advisory explained:

Tropical storm-force winds are expected in that area Sunday evening, though the center of the storm is still expected to remain offshore and not make landfall in Florida. Dorian could come close to the coasts of the Carolinas on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hurricane warnings remain in effect for the northwestern Bahamas, where Dorian is expected to bring destructive winds, storm surge and flooding rainfall on Sunday and Monday.

As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Dorian was about 170 miles east of Great Abaco Island in The Bahamas, the advisory said, and about 355 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida. The storm was moving west at just 8 mph.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez signed a declaration of a state of local emergency on Saturday afternoon, according to a news release.

The declaration will allow Miami’s city manager to take whatever actions necessary to protect the community, the news release said.

It quoted Suarez:

Check out a tweet from the Mayor below:

President Donald Trump addressed members of the media on Friday before he left for Camp David.

President Donald Trump is at Camp David this weekend, but he spent some time Saturday golfing at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

The President received hourly briefings on Hurricane Dorian, according to White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.

“He has someone traveling with him to specifically brief him on an hourly basis,” Grisham said in an email Saturday afternoon.

The President had cancelled a diplomatic trip to Poland to monitor the storm’s progress.

It was better for the President to stay in the country, Grisham told the White House press pool. “We’re more nimble and all his agencies are here,” she said.

People in Dorian’s potential path should not grow complacent, FEMA Deputy Associate Administrator for Response and Recovery David Bibo warned Saturday, calling the Category 4 hurricane a “long-duration nail-biter.”

The storm is forecast to slow down near the Bahamas on Sunday before heading north toward Florida’s east coast. People in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina should be prepared for strong winds and storm surges, Bibo said.

Since the storm’s path could still change, FEMA is prepared to send food, water and other supplies wherever they’re needed, officials said.

Emergency officials in Brevard County, Florida, are postponing mandatory evacuations for 24 hours, they announced Saturday.

Friday evening officials had called for evacuations to begin Sunday morning at 8 a.m. But now that Dorian is expected to slow and its forecast path has shifted east, officials say residents should begin evacuating Monday at 8 a.m.

“This is not your government saying we’re out of harm’s way,” said Public Safety Director Matt Wallace insisted in a news release. “This is still a killer storm. We want our residents to remain vigilant, to protect your family and loved ones and to make smart decisions.”

See more about the Brevard County evacuations below:

Officials in Volusia County, Florida, don’t expect to see tropical storm-force winds until Tuesday or Wednesday. But they still want residents to be prepared.

“The storm is projected to stay to the east of Volusia County, but we are by no means out of harm’s way,” Emergency Management Director Jim Judge said in a news conference Saturday.

Residents in mobile home parks, low-lying areas and along the beach could see mandatory evacuation orders on Monday, officials said. They anticipate opening shelters that morning at 10 a.m..

“I urge everyone to remain vigilant, continue to watch the forecasts, and keep your preparations in place,” County Manager George Recktenwald?said, according to a news release.

NOAA weather satellites picked up fresh images of Dorian Saturday afternoon, showing a very strong hurricane with a well-defined eye.

“Dorian’s satellite presentation is outstanding with a distinct eye of 15 nautical miles in diameter,” the National Hurricane Center said earlier Saturday morning.

Check out the recent satellite imagery below:

Even though the center of Hurricane Dorian might not make landfall in Florida, the state could still feel its powerful winds and heavy rain.

That’s why many folks are still preparing, like 19-year-old Jonah Bryson and his girlfriend’s family in Parkland, Florida. He helped put storm shutters up on one of her family members’ homes in nearby Coral Springs.

“People are a little relieved to hear that the path is changing,” Bryson told CNN, “but are still very concerned.”

“If the hurricane really does miss this region of the state, then we’ll be able to take everything down and we’ll be safe,” he added. “But it’s important that we prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

Jonah Bryson shared this photo of volunteers boarding up a home in Coral Springs, Florida, in preparation for Hurricane Dorian.

Bryson, who’s visiting from Atlanta, has plans to return home in the next few days, but he’s keeping an eye on the weather.

“I know I’ll be safe whether I’m here or there,” he said.

With her family prepped and ready for Hurricane Dorian’s potential arrival, Misty Massey in Lake Asbury, Florida, decided to lighten the mood a bit.

“People are starting to get anxious,” she told CNN, “so I just wanted to add a little humor for my friends and neighbors.”

Massey shared a photo on Facebook of a skeleton set up in a lawn chair with sunglasses, a drink in hand and a sign that reads, “Waiting on Dorian.”

Misty Massey said she couldn't wait to put up this year's Halloween decorations after she got prepped for Hurricane Dorian.

Massey told CNN she and her family feel good about their preparations, with a hurricane kit in their garage at all times and neighbors willing to share supplies.

She and her husband are also no strangers to hurricanes, having gone through several together, including hurricanes Irma and Matthew.

Massey added that as Dorian appears to change course, the anxiety in her community is starting to diminish a bit.

Workers install storm shutters Saturday ahead of Hurricane Dorian's arrival in Marsh Harbour on the Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas.

The Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis on Saturday called for residents in the northern islands to evacuate immediately.

“To those of you in the Cays and Grand Bahamas, I beg you, please leave,” Minnis said. “(The storm) is expected to cause devastating effects to our island.”

“If you wait until tonight, it will be too late,” he added. “Time is not on our side.”

The island of Grand Bahama could feel the effects of Hurricane Dorian by Sunday morning, Minnis warned. About 73,000 residents and 21,000 homes could be impacted, he said

“Homes, houses, structures can be replaced,” Minnis said. “Lives cannot.”

Grove Roots Brewing in Winter Haven, Florida, had to put its operations on hold this week due to Hurricane Dorian, but its staff wanted to help the community.

Instead of letting their sterilized fermenters sit empty, they decided to fill them up with 1,500 gallons of water. Now, in the event of a water crisis, members of the community of about 40,000 people can get water from the brewery.

Brewery owner Joe Dunham told CNN earlier this week:

Dunham spoke with CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Saturday. You can see that interview below:

CNN’s Patrick Oppmann is in Freeport, Bahamas, on the island of Grand Bahama, where he says an “eerie stillness” has taken hold.

Oppmann writes:

See his tweet below:

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster discusses rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence in 2018 in Wallace.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order Saturday declaring a state of emergency, telling residents of his state to prepare for possible impacts by Hurricane Dorian, according to a news release from McMaster’s office.

“The executive order enables all state agencies to coordinate resources and sets into effect the State Emergency Operations Plan,” the release said.

McMaster wrote on Twitter that authorities are “working around the clock to be ready, if necessary.”

“We encourage all South Carolinians who may be impacted by Hurricane Dorian to be vigilant and prepare now – there is no reason for delay.”

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis speaks in 2018 at the United Nations in New York.

As communities on the US mainland keep an eye on Dorian’s track, the northwestern Bahamas could get slammed, with strong winds arriving soon as Saturday night.

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis issued a dire warning in a news conference, according to CNN affiliate WPLG, telling residents, “Do not be foolish and try to brave out this hurricane. The price you may pay for not evacuating is your life.”

Dorian is forecast to slow down over the Bahamas, creating what National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham called “an incredibly dangerous situation.”

The slowdown would mean the Bahamas could be subjected to powerful hurricane-force winds, heavy rain and storm surge for an extended period of time.

“Rain, wind and the storm surge keeps piling up,” Graham said. “Anybody viewing us from the Bahamas, listen to the local officials. I can’t stress this enough.”

Florida Power & Light spokesman Bryan Garner talks about Dorian on Saturday morning at the utility's command center.

Even though Dorian’s path has shifted, Florida residents should still prepare for “possible extensive power outages,” Florida Power & Light spokesman Bryan Garner said.

Dorian is still a dangerous and powerful storm, Garner said in a briefing at the electric utility’s command center in Riviera Beach, and residents could feel the storm’s wind bands as early as Sunday.

FPL will keep preparing as if Florida were at risk of a direct hit, Garner said. There are about 18,000 workers gathering in the state, and crews are ready to stage near the areas expected to be “hardest hit,” he said.

Hurricane Dorian has grown slightly stronger and now boasts maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. ET advisory.

That means the storm’s wind strength is just 7 mph shy of Category 5 hurricane status.

Dorian’s forward movement also slowed a bit, the advisory said. It’s now heading west at just 8 mph.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez urged residents to continue their storm preparations despite the latest forecasts, telling them it’s “still too early to let our guard down.”

“Small changes can have a major impact,” Gimenez said Saturday. The area can still expect tropical-storm weather and flooding, especially with the King Tides expected over the weekend and into Tuesday, the mayor said.

President Trump weighed in on the latest forecasts for Hurricane Dorian, now that the possibilities for landfall include not just Florida but also the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas.

“Looking like our great South Carolina could get hit MUCH harder than first thought. Georgia and North Carolina also,” the President wrote. “It’s moving around and very hard to predict, except that it is one of the biggest and strongest (and really wide) that we have seen in decades. Be safe!”

Trump said earlier Saturday morning that he was “monitoring Hurricane Dorian and receiving frequent briefings and updates.”

See the President’s tweet below:

A team from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), aboard a Hurricane Hunter P-3 Aircraft, flew into Dorian’s eye Saturday.

The eye is the center of the storm. If you are in it, you can see?the stadium effect?— where the clouds stack up like a sporting arena. It is the calmest part of the storm. You can even see blue sky during the day and stars at night.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the trip provided useful data on the Category 4 hurricane’s inner core and showed the eye being a little bigger than 5 nautical miles.

Dorian is now an even stronger 145 mph hurricane, category 4 storm, according to the 8 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

It is likely to remain a very intense hurricane today as it moves towards the northern Bahamas, where hurricane warnings remain in effect.

Hurricane watches may be issued for parts of the Florida East Coast later on today.

The forecast track, which was shifted east in an earlier advisory, no longer shows a landfall in Florida. But Floridians should not relax just yet.

Much of Florida remains in the “cone of uncertainty” meaning even a small shift would bring the very dangerous core of the storm inland to Florida.

If the current forecast verifies, it will be very similar to the track taken by Hurricane Matthew, a storm that did nearly $5 billion worth of damage in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

The timing is similar to the previous forecast for the U.S. with tropical storm force winds arriving Sunday night and hurricane conditions possible late Monday into Tuesday.

And the hurricane could cause catastrophic damage in the Bahamas Sunday into Monday, particularly on Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands.

US President Donald Trump visits a storm-damaged area in Puerto Rico in 2017, nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria?hit the island.

US President Donald Trump tweeted early Saturday morning imploring Americans to “prepare and be safe!”

“It is important to heed the directions of your State and Local Officials,” he wrote.

“This is an extremely dangerous storm.”

Trump said Friday he will attend a hurricane briefing Sunday at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington at 12:30 p.m. ET.

He said they will likely make decisions about whether to evacuate parts of Florida then, adding that he had been speaking to Sens. Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and other officials throughout the day.?

The main forecasting tools – like the European and American Models –?that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) uses have started to show Dorian turning to the north before making landfall.

This means forecasters have moved the center of the track just offshore, showing Dorian tracking up the east coast of the state.

This does not mean Dorian won’t make landfall in Florida.

There are still multiple forecast models that show Dorian making landfall, which is why you don’t look at the center of the forecast track, but instead pay attention to the whole “cone of uncertainty” (that is the light red shading in the graphic above).

Even if this does not make landfall, the storm could track close enough to the shore to provide significant impacts to the entire coastline as it maintains strength.

Additional adjustments to the forecast track may be necessary later today, the NHC wrote.

Dorian’s forecast track has shifted east again, and now no longer shows Dorian making landfall in Florida, according to the 5 a.m. advisory and forecast from the National Hurricane Center.

Landfall is now expected later this week in parts of the Carolinas.?

Dorian remains a dangerous Category 4 hurricane and is expected to keep that intensity over the next several days as it passes through the northern Bahamas on Sunday into early Monday.?

It’s important to note that much of Florida, and the southeast coast remain in the forecast “cone of uncertainty” meaning landfall is still possible anywhere along the east coast of Florida, and points further north.?

Regardless, if the storm makes landfall, Dorian is expected to be close enough to the coast to bring life-threatening winds, storm surges, and flooding rains, starting early next week.

The island chain of Abaco and the northernmost island?of Grand Bahama will start to experience storm winds as early as 4 or 5 a.m. local time Sunday morning, Basil Dean, Deputy Director of Bahamas Department of Meteorology, told CNN Saturday.

“And from there onwards, things will go downhill as the hurricane force winds are expected to follow,” he said.

The Bahamas consists of more than 700 mainly low-lying islands – some only a few feet above sea level. Dorian is expected to be near or over the island chain on Sunday.

The category 4 hurricane could wreck serious damage on the archipelago. Dean said that Hurricane Matthew in 2016 led to the “total devastation” of Grand Bahama.

But he added that the islands are bracing “for the arrival of rain and we are just continuing to urge those who may still be near those coastal areas to move inland to a safer place.”

Hurricane Dorian is no small threat.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency,?urging residents to stockpile enough supplies?for a week. The Bahamas Prime Minister has warned residents they may pay with their life if they choose not to evacuate.

And President Donald Trump said the storm Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds looks like it “can be an absolute monster.”

Here’s what to expect in the coming days:

Saturday:

Dorian is barreling toward the US at 140 mph with even higher wind gusts, moving over the Atlantic well north of the Bahamas. As it spins northwestward it is expected to get stronger, possibly up to 150 mph. Category 5 winds are from 157 mph and higher.

A hurricane warning was issued for the northwestern Bahamas excluding Andros Island, where a hurricane watch remained in effect.

“A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous,” the National Hurricane Center says.

Sunday:

The storm will be near or over the northwestern part of the Bahamas.

The islands will feel the effects of the hurricane Sunday evening, with wind speeds of up to 145 mph – equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.

The hurricane could weaken slightly at its interaction with the Bahamas, CNN Meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.

“Although fluctuations in intensity are possible early next week, Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next few days,” the hurricane center?said.

To read more click here

Dorian can be seen from space.

On Friday, the International Space Station shared a video of the hurricane as it churned over the Atlantic Ocean on Friday afternoon.

The 1.22 minute clip was captured on cameras outside the space station.

The Bahamas is preparing itself for the Category 4 hurricane.

As Dorian barrels towards the island chain on Saturday, a hurricane warning has been issued in areas in northwest Bahamas, according to an alert issued by the Bahamas Department of Meteorology on Friday.

The Bahamas consists of more than 700 mainly low-lying islands – some only a few feet above sea level. Dorian is expected to be near or over the island chain on Sunday.

Hurricane Warnings are in effect for the Abacos,?Berry?Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence in the Bahamas.?A Hurricane Watch remains in effect for Andros Island.

The forecast expects Dorian to cause “large and destructive waves” of up to 15 feet along the “eastern and northern shores of Eleuthera and Abaco” on Sunday, and the northern and southern shores of Grand Bahama from Sunday night through to Monday morning.

People shop for supplies in Freeport, Bahamas, on Friday before the arrival of Dorian.

On Friday, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis ordered emergency evacuations for residents from the northern Keys of Abaco to mainland Abaco. Additional orders for evacuations were issued for areas of the island of Grand Bahama.

Both Grand Bahama and Abaco are hubs of the Bahamas tourist industry, which plays a vital part in the island chain’s economy.

Tourists scrambled to leave the islands Friday before the international airport was shut down that evening, Reuters reported.

The director general of the Ministry of Tourism, Joy Jibrilu, told Reuters the country was “still reeling” from Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which pummeled the archipelago with strong Category 4 winds.

The city of Miami Beach will open sandbag distribution sites.

The city of Miami Beach will be opening two sandbag distribution sites for residents Saturday and Sunday.

The locations will be at South Beach (451 Dade Boulevard) and North Beach (80 Street and Collins Avenue parking lot).

Residents going to both locations are required to show proof of residency via government-issued ID or utility bill.

Both locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday until the weather worsens or the sand supply runs out.

After being upgraded to a category 4 hurricane on Friday evening, Hurricane Dorian has maintained maximum sustained winds of up to 140 mph through Sunday morning,?according to the National Hurricane Center.

Dorian is currently 510 mile east of West Palm Beach, Florida, and 340 miles east of Northwestern Bahamas.

Dorian continues to move west-northwest and the forecast calls it to be “near or over” northwestern Bahamas on Sunday, and near Florida’s east coast late Monday.

The forecast calls for some strengthening of winds Saturday, with tropical storm winds beginning in northwestern Bahamas Saturday evening.

The forecast warns of a “life threatening storm surge” raising water levels as much as 10 to 15 feet above normal tide levels in areas “onshore winds in the northwestern Bahamas.”

The surge “will be accompanied by large and destructive waves” in areas near the coast, according to the forecast.