Hurricane Dorian, which was upgraded over the weekend to a Category 5, hit the Bahamas with record sustained wind speeds of 185 MPH on Sunday. As the hurricane battered the Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands, authorities in Florida issued mandatory evacuations for multiple counties Sunday, including Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie Counties. Among the high-profile places under the evacuation order is Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. As a developing eyewall replacement cycle threatens to broaden Dorian’s wind field, the threat of wind and storm surge to Florida is increasing.
Dorian slowly churned over Abaco Island on Sunday, resulting in massive flooding and catastrophic damage. The Category 5 hurricane continued to wreak havoc on the islands Monday, as reported by the Associated Press.
“Hurricane Dorian hovered over the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with a fearsome Category 5 assault that shredded roofs, hurled cars and forced even rescue crews to take shelter until the onslaught passes,” AP reported Monday morning. “The storm’s top sustained winds fell slightly to 165 mph (270 kph), and its westward movement slowed almost to a standstill. The system crawled along Grand Bahama Island at just 1 mph (2 kph).”
Weather Underground reported in a Monday morning update that Dorian’s stall location “increases the probability that the hurricane will turn north in time to miss a direct landfall in Florida, but a developing eyewall replacement cycle (ERC) may broaden Dorian’s wind field, increasing the wind and storm surge threat to Florida.”
As the hurricane slammed the Bahamas Sunday, Florida officials began ordering evacuations in counties expected to be impacted by the powerful storm.
“Mandatory evacuation orders for parts of Palm Beach County and Martin County are being issued starting at 1 p.m., as a now-Category 5 Hurricane Dorian reached the Bahamas and nears Florida’s east coast, state emergency director Jared Moskowitz said Sunday morning,” the Miami Herald reported. “In Palm Beach County, one of the state’s most populous regions, the evacuation order affects about 183,000 residents who live in mobile home parks, barrier islands or other at-risk regions from the Jupiter inlet to the county’s southern border with Broward County. In Martin, about 38,000 residents are affected.”
The zones named in the Palm Beach evacuation orders “cover long swaths of the county’s beach front, including President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort,” the paper notes.
Later Sunday, St. Lucie County was also ordered to undergo mandatory evacuations. “The main concern officials expressed is over storm surge. If the storm continues to turn west, then it could become more of an issue for more residents,” Treasure Coast reported Sunday.
Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center issued an update on the hurricane, including a list of all watches and warnings currently in effect:
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for…
- Lantana to the Volusia/Brevard County Line
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for…
- North of Deerfield Beach to south of Lantana
- Volusia/Brevard County Line to the Mouth of the St. Mary’s River
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
- Grand Bahama and the Abacos Islands in the northwestern Bahamas
- Jupiter Inlet to the Volusia/Brevard County Line
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for…
- North of Deerfield Beach to Jupiter Inlet
- Volusia/Brevard County Line to the Mouth of the St. Mary’s River
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
- North of Deerfield Beach to Jupiter Inlet
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…
- North of Golden Beach to Deerfield Beach
- Lake Okeechobee