Hurricane Dorian weakens to Category 2, grows in size as it tracks toward Florida

Hurricane Dorian has weakened to a strong Category 2 storm, but it has grown in size, therefore making its storm surge and flooding hazard potentially worse.

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The National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. update showed the hurricane has sustained wind of 110 miles an hour (that is the strongest sustained wind a hurricane can have without being classified as a Category 3 storm). The storm, which was listed as stationary for several hours, is now moving at two miles per hour.

While the wind speed decreased slightly, the size of the storm actually grew. NHC said the risk of life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force wind continues to increase along the coast of North Carolina.

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Dorian is expected to continue moving Tuesday and will pick up speed into Wednesday and Thursday–moving up the East Coast from Florida to Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Hurricane Warnings are in effect for parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for most of North Carolina.

Live: Tracking Hurricane Dorian

“Raleigh is now out of the cone of uncertainty, but still as this cone is tightened, the Outer Banks within what could be the fourth landfall for this storm system,” ABC11 Meteorologist Don “Big Weather” Schwenneker said.

Dorian will be off the North Carolina coast Thursday night or Friday morning. The good news is the storm will be picking up speed, so it will not stay in the Carolinas for long. It should have moved off by Friday evening.

MORE: Here’s what you actually need to prepare for Hurricane Dorian

Even weakened, the storm could bring heavy rain and strong wind to coastal regions all along the East Coast of the United States.

Coastal flooding and beach erosion is likely in North Carolina. The state could see between an inch and six inches of rain, depending on the ultimate track of the storm.

“The risk of life-threatening storm surge and hurricane force winds continues to increase along the coast of NC,” according to the National Hurricane Center.

In the Bahamas, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said at least five people died in the Abaco Islands as a result of the storm.

VIDEO: Hurricane Dorian unleashes catastrophic damage in Bahamas

On Sunday, Dorian blasted the Bahamas with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and gusts up to 220 mph, tying the record for the most powerful Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall.

WATCH: What it looks like inside the eye of Hurricane Dorian

Gov. Roy Cooper has issued a State of Emergency in North Carolina as the state braces for the potential impacts of Hurricane Dorian.

Mandatory evacuation orders in Florida for low-lying and flood-prone areas and mobile homes are in place from Palm Beach County north to at least the Daytona Beach area, and some counties to the north issued voluntary evacuation notices.
WATCH: Bahamas resident shows, describes conditions as Dorian pounds island nation

In South Carolina, the governor issued a mandatory evacuation of the entire coast beginning Monday.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has also ordered a mandatory evacuation of the state’s Atlantic coast starting at midday Monday.

Kemp tweeted late Sunday that his executive order covers all those located east of the Interstate 95 corridor on Georgia’s Atlantic seaboard. It begins at noon EDT Monday as powerful Hurricane Dorian creeps ever closer to the U.S. Southeast.

PREPARE FOR THE STORM

While it is too early to know the impact Dorian will have, it is never to early to prepare with the essential supplies.

What to know about generators before a power outage
What happens to your home in hurricane-force winds?
Foods to stock up on before a storm hits