As of the 8am update, Dorian has strengthened to a category 5 storm with 160 mph winds. Hurricane force winds extend 30 miles out from the center, tropical storm force winds out 105 miles from the center, with wind gusts up to 185 mph.

Dorian will move over Abaco today and continue west over or very near Grand Bahama tonight into tomorrow. Not only are the islands looking at devastating winds, 12-24″ of rain with isolated 30″ totals are possible, and storm surge 15-20 ft with onshore winds is possible.

The storm is only moving at 8 mph and will slow down even more as the steering high to the north breaks down. On this path, it will be just west of Grand Bahama early Tuesday morning. Dorian will slowly weaken as it makes the turn to the north on Tuesday. Models have been trending towards Dorian’s center remaining offshore, but a few still make landfall on Florida’s east coast and that is still a possibility.

The cone of uncertainty includes the Georgia and Carolina coastlines as well. Residents in these areas should monitor the progression of the storm closely.