'Catastrophic' Hurricane Dorian To Hit Bahamas 'With Devastating Winds' of 160 MPH

The National Hurricane Center reports that Dorian has changed into a category 5 hurricane with 160 mph sustained winds. What’s more, “the eyewall of this catastrophic hurricane is about to hit the Abaco Islands with devastating winds.” The Center adds that “life-threatening storm surge and very heavy rainfall” are also expected.

NEW: #Dorian is now a category 5 #hurricane with 160 mph sustained winds. The eyewall of this catastrophic hurricane is about to hit the Abaco Islands with devastating winds. Next advisory: https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/oFspgN0XbT

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 1, 2019

In its report on Dorian, the Associated Press reports that the storm is closing in on the northern Bahamas where people are hunkering down “in schools, churches and other shelters.” The “devastating hurricane conditions” will first hit the Abacos Islands early on Sunday, after which the hurricane is expected to hit across Grand Bahama Island later in the day.

In the meantime, “millions from Florida to the Carolinas” are also keeping an eye on the hurricane, because it could still move towards them, too. Recent indications show that Dorian is indeed likely to “veer sharply northeastward after passing the Bahamas and track up the U.S. Southeast seaboard.” However, even if the core doesn’t hit those American states, people are still advised not to take any risks because the accompanying storm will hit U.S. coastal areas with enormous force.

All information — satellite images, experts’ opinions — clearly indicates that Dorian is going to be extremely powerful and, therefore, deadly. We can only pray for the Abaco Islands and other islands part of the Bahamas. May God be with those poor folks and protect them from this terrible force of nature.

The same goes, of course, for Florida and the Carolinas, although we can still have some hope that Dorian won’t hit them directly — or at least, not its core. As the AP points out, that storm will still cause tremendous damage, but that’s significantly less than what we can expect if Dorian will hit one of those states (or all of them) head-on. That would truly be catastrophic.