Hurricane Dorian’s winds hit 185 mph, with gusts to 220

Sep. 1--Hurricane Dorian's winds reached a catastrophic 185 miles per hour Sunday afternoon with gusts to 220, as the storm made landfall in the Bahamas.

South Florida will experience showers and gusty winds Sunday from a few wisps of the storm's outer bands, as the region prepares for impacts that could range from a day or two of rain and high winds to a direct hit from a major hurricane.

The storm's projected path remained unchanged in the 2 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, which showed Broward and Palm Beach counties within the left edge of the cone of possible courses for the storm's center.

A hurricane watch was issued from Boca Raton through Brevard County late Sunday morning, after the storm reached Category 5 force and its projected path took a slight bend toward Florida. The storm made landfall at 12:40 p.m. Sunday on Elbow Cay in the Abaco islands

Palm Beach County ordered the evacuation of barrier islands and other vulnerable areas Sunday, including the site of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

The storm's potential paths moved closer to Florida Sunday, showing a large slice of South Florida within the outer limits of regions at risk of a direct hit.

South Florida remains at the left edge of the cone of uncertainty, indicating the likely course of the storm's center, and the cone's center remains well offshore and aimed at the Carolinas. Most potential paths still show the storm remaining at sea. The critical question remains when it turns north.

"The overall trend is for the hurricane to turn northward offshore but very close to the Florida peninsula," the hurricane center said in an 11 a.m. Sunday forecast discussion. "...It is emphasized that although the official track forecast does not show landfall, users should not focus on the exact track. A small deviation to the left of the track could bring the intense core of the hurricane [and] its dangerous winds closer to or onto the coast."

The storm strengthened unexpectedly Sunday morning, reaching Category 5 force as it struck the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center said in a 9:30 a.m. update.

An Air Force Hurricane Hunter airplane penetrated the storm's eyewall and found winds had reached a "catastrophic" speed of 160 mph, with higher gusts, as the eye approached the Abaco islands of the Bahamas, the hurricane center said. A pass through the northwestern eyewall found the higher wind speeds.

The evacuation order, which takes effect at 1 p.m. covers two zones: Zone A includes mobile homes, sub-standard housing and low-lying areas. Zone B includes the barrier islands, land north and south of Jupiter Inlet, and other vulnerable areas south along the Intracoastal Waterway to the Broward County line.

You can check your zone at readyPBC.com.

The county is opening seven shelters, as a well as a special-needs shelter and pet-friendly shelter. For more information, call is 561-712-6400.

A tropical storm watch was issued Sunday from northern Miami-Dade County to Deerfield Beach, as Hurricane Dorian continued westward. A watch means tropical conditions, defined as winds of 39 to 73 miles per hour, are possible within 48 hours. The southern end of the watch area is the town of Golden Beach.

A watch previously issued for a stretch of the coast from Deerfield Beach to Sebastian Inlet was upgraded to a warning, which means tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours. The hurricane center said it made the change to account for the shift in the storm track toward Florida.

The first tropical-force winds could reach South Florida as soon as late Sunday night or the predawn hours of Monday morning, according to the hurricane center. Their more likely arrival time is Monday morning after dawn.

At highest risk of the strongest winds are coastal areas from West Palm Beach to Cape Canaveral, according to an advisory Sunday morning from the National Weather Service.

At 2 p.m. the storm was 185 miles east of West Palm Beach, moving west at 7 miles per hour.

Broward officials are opening three special needs adult shelters and one pediatric special needs shelter at 2 p.m. Sunday. No evacuations have been ordered.

Schools will be closed Tuesday in Palm Beach County, which stands to get more severe winds than Broward or Miami-Dade.

Palm Beach County, particularly the north coast of the county, has a 20 to 40% chance of experiencing hurricane-force winds, which means winds of at least 74 mph, according to the latest hurricane center graphics. Broward County has a 10 to 20% chance.

The odds of tropical-force winds are higher. Coastal Palm Beach County has an 80 to 90% chance of experiencing tropical-force winds, coastal Broward has a 60 to 80% chance and coastal Miami-Dade has a 40 to 60% chance.

Tropical-force winds could arrive Sunday evening and linger through Wednesday morning. Hurricane-force winds, if they arrive, could show up early Monday and last though Tuesday.

On its current course, the storm should be near Florida late Monday or Tuesday, the hurricane center said.

Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center, described Dorian as a storm in robust health, a "textbook" hurricane with a well-defined eye that was still growing in strength. While he said the forecast looks better for Florida, the proximity of such a powerful storm still places the coast in danger.

"If you're in Florida, yes, you can look at it and see that as we're getting further off the coast, and it seems like good news," he said late Saturday morning. "But again, at the same time, a 150-mile hurricane. This is a powerful storm. A little closer to us and you could get more impacts. But either way, some places in Florida could see some of that rain, could still see some of those elevated tides with the storm surge, so we've just got to pay attention to the latest forecast."

Possible scenarios for South Florida range from the shrinking but still real possibility of a direct hit by a major hurricane to the chance of heavy wind, rain and waves as the hurricane turns north and just brushes the coast.

Possible rainfall totals have declined as the storm track veered offshore. Most areas are likely to see 2 to 4 inches of rain, with coastal regions seeing 4 to 6 inches. Isolated areas could see 6 to 10 inches.

Our storm coverage is being updated regularly. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

___

(c)2019 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.