10PM Dorian Update:
Dorian is still an extremely powerful category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds but the pressure continues to fall down to 940mb.
Latest NHC track remains pretty much the same with Dorian slowly tracking to the west on Sunday as it slams into the Northern Bahamas then making a turn to the north on Monday riding up along the east coast of Florida and making a close pass by the coast of Georgia and South Carolina.
7PM Dorian Update:
Dorian continues to be a extremely powerful category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds. The more impressive thing is that the pressure keeps falling now down to 941 mb which means the storm is still strengthening.
Saturday 4 PM Dorian Update
Hurricane Dorian remains a powerful category 4 storm with 150 mph winds and gusts up to 185 mph.
Dorian is slowly drifting to the west at 8 mph and could begin to cause life-threatening impacts for the northern islands of the Bahamas Sunday afternoon/evening.
Hurricane warnings are up for all the Bahamas in the path of the storm and we have our first Tropical Storm watches along the Florida coast from Deerfield Beach to Sebastian Inlet.
These slow moving storms are very hard to predict, especially with it so strong, as objects in motion like to stay in motion in the direction they are currently heading meaning a Florida landfall can not be completely ruled out..
But the good news is the latest track from the National Hurricane Center has Dorian eventually making a turn to the north Monday afternoon about a hundred miles off the east coast of Florida.
However, as Dorian tracks up along the east coast Florida it does looks to make a very close pass near the Georgia and the Carolina coast.
Thus, for those along the coast from Daytona Beach up to Wilmington, North Carolina they all will have about a 50% chance to see at least tropical storm force winds (40 mph) and tropical rains.
The main impact from Dorian looks to be high storm surge up to 2-4 feet, especially for the coastal communities of Georgia and Carolina, where Dorian will make its closest pass to land.
That said, this is a massive hurricane and things can change so keep it with KATC for all the latest on Dorian.
MIAMI (AP) - The latest on Hurricane Dorian (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is warning residents along the state's Atlantic coast that "we're not out of the woods yet."
He says some forecast models still bring powerful Hurricane Dorian close to or even onto the Florida peninsula along with "life-threatening storm surge and hurricane force winds."
DeSantis says that because of the uncertainty on Dorian's path people need to stay vigilant.
In his words: "Floridians on the east coast need to be prepared. If you have a plan, stick to your plan. If you haven't made preparations, please do so."
The governor also says he spoke with President Donald Trump, who promised to provide any help Florida needs.
DeSantis spoke at a briefing at the Florida emergency operations center in Tallahassee.
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6:20 p.m.
Authorities in the Bahamas say Hurricane Dorian is expected to affect some 73,000 residents and 21,000 homes.
Government spokesman Kevin Harris tells The Associated Press that officials also have closed airports in The Abaco Islands, Grand Bahama and Bimini.
However, Harris says that the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau will remain open during the passing of Dorian, along with smaller airports in the central and southern Bahamas.
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6:10 p.m.
Orlando International Airport will shut down Monday at 2 a.m. as Hurricane Dorian makes its way toward the Florida coast.
Officials at the airport say it is closing "out of an abundance of caution" and so the 25,000 people who work there can prepare for the storm.
The airport says travelers should check with their airlines for flight information and schedules.
