Hurricane Dorian path tracks toward Florida, now near Puerto Rico, NOAA says

The latest forecast for Hurricane Dorian’s path increases the chances its track will make landfall near Florida or Georgia as a significant category storm, NOAA says.

Dorian became a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday as it struck the U.S. Virgin Islands, with forecasters saying it could grow to Category 3 status as it nears the U.S. mainland as early as the weekend.

Dorian is currently just east of Puerto Rico. President Donald Trump signed a Emergency Declaration on Tuesday to help make federal emergency aide available for the U.S. territory that is still recovering from Hurricane Maria two years ago.
At 2 p.m. EDT, Dorian was located over St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said it had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph while moving northwest at 13 mph.

The Hurricane Center said the storm could grow into a dangerous Category 3 storm as it pushes northwest in the general direction of Florida

A hurricane tropical storm warning was in effect for Puerto Rico, with Dorian expected to dump 4 to 6 inches of rain with isolated amounts of 8 inches.

The bottom line for the United States remains in flux, as it is too early to confidently predict the storm’s final path.

You may see some forecasts even predicting that Dorian will turn far enough north to threaten the North Carolina coast, but Don “Big Weather” Schwenneker said it is way to early to worry about that.

“It is way too early to forecast this hitting North Carolina. So if somebody does that today (Wednesday) they’re just trying to get you to click on their website,” Big Weather said.

Still, it’s never too early to be prepared. Here are the things Big Weather says you should have in your hurricane emergency kit.