‘Extremely dangerous’ Dorian now a major Category 3 hurricane as it moves closer to Florida

Hurricane Dorian has strengthened into an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm, carrying winds of up to 115 mph as it moves closer to Florida, the National Hurricane Center announced Friday afternoon.

The agency said in its 2 p.m. update that the storm, now officially considered a major hurricane, "poses a significant threat" to the Bahamas and the Sunshine State.

It is still unclear where in Florida the storm will make landfall, but the hurricane center urged residents in southern and central Florida to monitor Dorian's movement. Forecasters believe the hurricane could strike the U.S. as a Category 4 storm on Labor Day.

As of Friday afternoon, the eye of the hurricane was about 625 miles east of West Palm Beach. If the storm follows its current track, it will be over the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday and near the Florida peninsula late Monday, officials said.

The current forecast also puts the storm on track to hit Walt Disney World and President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. The park has not announced any closings, as of Friday afternoon, due to the storm's uncertain track.

"Sometimes if you evacuate too soon, you may evacuate into the path of the storm if it changes," Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference.

Dorian is projected to make landfall with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and gusts of up to 160 mph, though its path and strength have been inconsistent since the storm formed over the Atlantic last weekend. At 140 mph, it would be the strongest storm to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew devastated the state in 1992, killing more than 40 people.

Dorian could bring "a life-threatening storm surge" to parts of the Bahamas, raising water levels as much as 10 to 15 feet above normal, according to the latest advisory. The agency also expects life-threatening surf and rip conditions across the Florida coast.

A state of emergency is in effect for all of Florida's 67 counties, with thousands of people expected to evacuate over the weekend. Meanwhile, 2,000 Florida National Guard members have been activated.

Officials urged Floridians to prepare a seven-day supply of food, water and medicine in case of a disaster.

Residents appeared to follow the advice as supermarkets were running out of bottled water and other supplies. Fuel shortages were also being reported in some places, leading to long lines at gas stations.

At a supermarket in Cocoa Beach, Ed Ciecirski in the customer service department said the pharmacy was extra busy with people rushing to fill prescriptions. The Publix store had also run out of dry ice and was rationing bottled water.

"It's hairy," he said.

With News Wire Services

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