Hurricane watch canceled for Palm Beach County, as Dorian weakens to Category 2 force and picks up speed

Sep. 3--The hurricane watch for Palm Beach County was canceled late Tuesday morning, as Hurricane Dorian weakened to Category 2 force and started on its long-awaited turn to the north.

Also cancelled was a tropical storm watch for Broward County. But a tropical storm warning for Palm Beach County remains in effect, and forecasters said to expect strong winds and heavy rain through much of the afternoon as the hurricane moves up the coast.

The hurricane's forward speed accelerated to 5 mph Tuesday afternoon as it pursued a course projected to parallel the southeastern U.S. coast, leaving open the possibility of landfall in Georgia or the Carolinas, according to the 2 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

The entire Florida coast now lies outside the cone of possible courses for the storm's center, although forecasters warn that a minor shift in direction could still subject parts of the state to hurricane-force winds. The storm is producing top winds of 110 miles per hour, putting it at the upper end of Category 2 strength.

After stalling over the Bahamas and subjecting the islands to a ferocious assault, the storm started to inch northwest about 7:30 a.m. at 1 mile per hour, finally pulling away from the Bahamas and reducing the threat to South Florida.

"The storm is now moving northwest at 5 miles per hour after being stationary for more than 24 hours, which is good news for everyone actually," said Robert Molleda, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Miami.

Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center, said the resumption of the storm's forward movement appeared to be the start of the turn north, a long-awaited action that could finally take parts of the Florida coast out of danger.

"What that's probably starting to show is what our forecasts have been calling for for days and days and days, which is to make that move to the north," he said.

The strongest winds in South Florida will strike eastern Palm Beach County from noon to 6 p.m., as that area experiences more frequent tropical-force winds, the weather service said. Tropical force winds speeds are 39 miles per hour and up. Gusts of up to 60 mph are possible in northeastern Palm Beach County, with gusts of 50 to 55 possible elsewhere in the county.

The storm's ongoing hazards for the Bahamas include wind gusts of up to 150 mph, a storm surge 10 to 15 feet above normal with higher, destructive waves and extreme flooding from up to 30 inches of rain.

Although the official forecast does not show Dorian making landfall along Florida's east coast, the hurricane center is reminding residents and visitors that "a relatively small deviation to the left of this track could bring the core of the hurricane near or over the coastline."

In South Florida, as the storm's outer bands began sweeping through Monday, towns were desolate and highway traffic sparse from Boca Raton north through St. Lucie County. The storm struck with sporadic periods of driving rain and strong winds: the Juno Beach Pier reported a sustained wind of 49 mph and a gust to 60 mph.

Windows were boarded with canvas, plywood, metal or insulation. Many businesses were closed.

A hurricane watch was in effect for much of Florida's east coast into Georgia. At Kilwin's ice cream shop in downtown Stuart, plywood markings hearkened back to past storms, warning off hurricanes Jeanne, Frances, Irma and Matthew -- but adding Dorian to the list.

In Stuart, even Wawa, a 24/7 gas station, closed at 5 p.m. Workers zip-tied gas pumps and wrapped them in plastic wrap. The occasional bar welcomed hurricane-awaiting crowds with "open" signs.

Stir-crazy residents crammed into the few open restaurants. "We're out of food," a worker at one pizza place in Port St. Lucie said at 7:30 p.m.

Workers from other states, and evacuees, crowded into hotels in Port St. Lucie. A fleet of a dozen ambulances waited near the local hospital.

A sign at the Hampton Inn hotel warned there is no generator if power is lost and ended with a plea for patience, and "may God be with us all."

Hurricane Dorian unleashed massive flooding across the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with so much wind and water that authorities urged people to find flotation devices and grab hammers to break out of their attics if necessary. At least five deaths in the Bahamas were blamed on the storm.

Officials in the Bahamas said they received a "tremendous" number of calls from people in flooded homes. A radio station received more than 2,000 distress messages, including reports of a 5-month-old baby stranded on a roof and a grandmother with six grandchildren who cut a hole in a roof to escape rising floodwaters. Other reports involved a group of eight children and five adults stranded on a highway and two storm shelters that flooded.

Willis Williams got to his food trailer at Riviera Beach Marina at 3 a.m. Monday to prepare meat, banking that business will pick up if power outages begin. He had propane tanks and grills, for his Willis' BarBQ business. And he wasn't watching the storm track.

"I ain't worried," he said. "I never worry. I put everything in God's hands."

Williams said he'd lived in Florida all his life. "For some reason whenever a hurricane gets ready to come to Florida, it just says, 'Nah, I'm gonna go this other way.'"

Sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph, with higher gusts, are likely throughout Tuesday in northeastern Palm Beach County. Broward County can expect winds of 25 to 35 mph all day with gusts of 40 to 55 mph, and possibly higher, all day.

The storm has grown in size over the past day, putting a wider area at risk. Hurricane winds extend 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds reach 140 miles from the center.

"It just takes a little wiggle, a little movement, a little jog, and then all of a sudden you're a little closer to the coast," National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said in a Facebook Live broadcast.

He explained that atmospheric conditions can change the direction of what has been an unpredictable storm. Dorian now ranks as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfalls on record, tied with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, authorities said.

The only recorded storm that was more powerful was Hurricane Allen in 1980, with 190 mph winds. But that storm did not make landfall at that strength.

Palm Beach County on Sunday ordered the evacuation of barrier islands and other vulnerable areas, including the site of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Palm Beach and Broward counties remained on guard as evacuation shelters began welcoming residents before conditions deteriorated.

There were people streaming into a special-needs shelter slowly Monday afternoon at the South Florida Fairgrounds in suburban West Palm Beach. Janet Robinson, who stood outside, has been in the shelter since Sunday. "It's boring," she said and laughed. But she did say that the conditions were nice and the staff was treating her well.

She is a caretaker and her patient is a 91-year-old woman who uses an oxygen tank and recently had hip surgery. Robinson said she didn't know if the storm would turn out to be so bad, but she wanted to come early just in case. "It is better to be prepared than to be rushing last minute."

Schools will be closed through Wednesday in Palm Beach County and through Tuesday in Broward and Miami-Dade.

South Florida also began seeing flooding and king tides in effect. The National Hurricane Center cited the potential for "large and destructive waves" to hit Florida.

"Surge-related flooding depends on the how close the center of Dorian comes to the Florida east coast, and can vary greatly over short distances," an advisory said.

Staff writers Andrew Boryga, Brett Clarkson and Juan Ortega contributed to this report.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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