Dorian may not reach U.S. coast, but will pack punch

Hurricane Dorian will likely approach Florida’s coast late on Tuesday, September 3, leaving behind devastation the Bahamas, including at least five deaths.

Dorian, downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane, will likely come “dangerously close” to Florida. After lingering through September 4, it is then projected to move northwest toward Georgia and South Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on September 2.

Officials in Georgia and South Carolina already began ordering lane reversals on interstates and major highways to accommodate evacuation traffic.  

The NHC does not expect Dorian to make landfall. But it still will pose serious dangers with destructive winds, isolated tornadoes, heavy rainfall and flooding. 

NHC data, which is available in the FreightWaves SONAR platform, placed the storm 105 miles east of Palm Beach, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. 

Hurricane Dorian’s projected path as seen on SONAR’s Critical Events at 5 p.m. on September 2.

Dorian was already making its presence known in Florida; the National Weather Service issued flood advisories in Broward and Dade counties. 

As conditions worsened, Orlando International Airport announced that it will close at 2:00 a.m. on September 3, joining Palm Beach-Hollywood International airport. 

Also closing will be Georgia’s ports in Savannah and Brunswick.

For more Hurricane Dorian coverage

• Slideshow: The freight before the storm
• South Florida feels Dorian ahead of storm
• Florida to close ports as storm approaches.
• Dorian deals near-miss in Canada-Florida freight lanes.
• Retailers, logistics providers get ready.
• FreightWaves offers SONAR for free.