RICHMOND, Va. -- Dorian became a category five hurricane at 8 a.m. Sunday, and winds have continued to increase. As of 2 p.m., maximum sustained winds are at 185 mph. The central pressure has been dropping, and the winds may increase even more.
The center of the storm will cross the northern Bahamas into Sunday night. In addition to the fierce winds, that area will also see the potential for around 30 inches of rain. There will be a devastating storm surge that could exceed 20 feet. The storm surge is the wall of water the hurricane pushes ashore. Waves occur on top of the storm surge.
The very slow movement of the storm, less than 10 mph, will allow for a prolonged period of wind, rain and surge.
Dorian will get closer to Florida on Monday. Various environmental factors should cause the storm to make a sharp turn and head northward, staying parallel to the coast. Hurricane watches have been issued for part of the coast.
The Florida coast will see rain, wind and surge, but the storm's exact proximity to the coast will determine how bad those will be.
The forecast track is for Dorian to stay near the southeastern and Mid-Atlantic coasts into mid-week.
It is expected to be just far enough offshore to keep the strongest winds over the ocean.
Latest computer model runs continue to trend the system farther east. There is a possibility that Dorian will never make a U.S. landfall, but some ingredients need to come together for that to occur.
As of now, the storm could be near the Outer Banks by Thursday.
Locally, we could see some rain and wind from Dorian Thursday into early Friday, but it all depends on the storm's exact position. There is the potential for some rain and gusts over 25 mph in Richmond, with a few inches of rain and gusts over 40 mph near Virginia Beach. HOWEVER, if the storm takes a more easterly track, the effects to Virginia would be much less.
More information can be found in the CBS 6 Hurricane Tracker.
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