Hurricane Dorian: Here’s What You Need to Know

Aug 29, 2019

Public Safety

Hurricane Dorian Working Its Way Up the East Coast

Five Basic Facts About Hurricane Dorian

As Category 2Hurricane Dorian moves along the Carolina coast this morning, it’s bringing rain, storm surge, and tornado concerns.

Latest Update: NWS 11:00 am ET 9/5/2019

1. Hurricane Location

Hurricane Dorian’s eye is just offshore of the eastern coast of South Carolina.

Dorian is about 50 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. It is also about 140 miles south-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina Its exact location is 32.5N and 79.1W.

A view of live radar and satellite images of Hurricane Dorian on our hyperlocal weather map, Sferic Maps

The above image shows radar, satellite, and tropical storm information warnings along the east coast on our weather map.

Doran is moving north-northeast at about 8 mph.

2. Hurricane Dorian Strength

Hurricane Dorian’s sustained winds have reduced to 110 mph. This makes Hurricane Dorian a still-dangerous Category 2 storm.

Its current minimum central pressure has risen to 958 mb (28.29 inches).

Earth Networks customers can track Dorian using Sferic Maps. Those who are not Earth Networks customers can get a 2-week free trial of our weather visualization software. Click the button below to track Dorian and any other tropical systems that develop over the next two weeks.

3. Dorian Watches and Warnings

Here is a list of the current Hurricane Dorian watches and warnings.

A STORM SURGE WARNING is in effect for:

Edisto Beach, South Carolina to Poquoson, Virginia
Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds
Neuse and Pamlico Rivers
Hampton Raods

A HURRICANE WARNING is in effect for:

Savannah River to the North Carolina/Virginia border
Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING is in effect for:

North Carolina/Virginia border to Fenwick Island, Delaware
Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point southward
Tidal Potomac south of Cobb Island
Altamaha Sound, Georgia to Savannah River

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH is in effect for:

Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts
Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

There are plenty of watches and warnings for tropical storms and hurricanes. Make sure you know the difference before one or more is in effect for your area..

4. Hurricane Timeline

Dorian is moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph. We expect a turn towards the northeast by tonight. Forecasters expect a north-eastward motion at a faster forward speed tomorrow.

On this track, the center of Hurricane Dorian will continue to move close to the coast of South Carolina tonight. Then it will continue to move close to the coast of North Carolina tonight and Friday.

Next, the center should move to the southeast of extreme southeastern New England Friday night and Saturday morning. It will approach Nova Scotia later on Saturday.

We expect slow weakening during the next few days. However, we expect Hurricane Dorian to remain a powerful hurricane as the center moves near the coasts of the Carolinas.

Hurricane-force winds now extend up to 60 miles from the center. Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles.

5. Hazards

NOAA’s National Hurricane Center has outlined the following hazards affecting land:

WIND

Tropical storm conditions are affecting portions of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. We expect hurricane conditions along portions of the South Carolina coast during the next several hours.

Tropical storm conditions are spreading along the coast of North Carolina. We expect hurricane conditions to begin there later today.

By Friday, tropical storm conditions should be in the Tropical Storm Warning area in the Mid-Atlantic states. The Tropical Storm Watch area will start experiencing conditions on Friday or Friday night.

We also expect tropical storm conditions over portions of southeastern Massachusetts by late Friday or early Saturday.

STORM SURGE

The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to flood. Rising waters moving inland could bring areas under a warning from 2 to 8 feet.

RAINFALL

Dorian is expected to produce the following rainfall totals through Friday.

Coastal Carolina’s: 6-12 inches Far southeast
Virginia: 3-8 inches Extreme southeastern
New England: 2-4 inches

SURF

Large swells will affect the northwestern Bahamas and the entire U.S. southeast coast over the next few days.

TORNADOES

Tornadoes are possible through this afternoon across eastern North Carolina and the upper South Carolina coast. The tornado threat will continue tonight across eastern North Carolina into southeast Virginia.