Core of Hurricane Dorian brushes North Carolina's coast

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — Hurricane Dorian’s core was brushing the coastline of North Carolina Thursday night. The Category 2 hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

By Friday, Hurricane Dorian is forecast to start moving away from the Carolinas.  

A tropical storm warning has been issued from Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach, Mass., and for Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The hurricane warning from Savannah River to the south of Edisto Beach is now a tropical storm warning as well. 

A hurricane warning has been issued for Edisto Beach, S.C. to the North Carolina or Virginia Border, and Pamlico and Albermarle Sounds. 

The storm is being blamed for at least 20 deaths in the Bahamas.

Hundreds of shelter animals from coastal South Carolina have arrived in Delaware ahead of Hurricane Dorian’s expected landfall.

The News Journal of Wilmington reports the animals were moved from shelters at risk of flooding. The Category 3 storm began making its way across the Carolinas Thursday and was expected to flood low-lying areas and bring enough rain to cause flash flooding concerns well inland.

Nearly 200 animals were airlifted off the endangered coast and picked up by Brandywine Valley SPCA early Tuesday. About 150 other animals were expected to arrive that night via land transport from Best Friends Animal Society. The animals may be up for adoption throughout New England later this week.
 
Brandywine says the lessened South Carolina shelter populations will make space for local pets impacted by Dorian.

LIVE BLOG: The latest, need-to-know information on Hurricane Dorian

Current hurricane watches and warnings include:

Storm Surge Warning:

• Little River Inlet to Poquoson VA
• Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds 
• Neuse and Pamlico Rivers 
• Hampton Roads

Hurricane Warning:

• Edisto Beach SC to the North Carolina/Virginia border  
• Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds

Tropical Storm Warning:

• Savannah River to the south of Edisto Beach SC 
• North Carolina/Virginia border to Fenwick Island DE 
• The Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point southward 
• Tidal Potomac south of Cobb Island 
• Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach MA 
• Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard MA 

RELATED: What’s the difference between a hurricane watch and a warning?

Dorian first made landfall in Elbow Cay, Bahamas, around 12:45 p.m. Sunday with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph as a Category 5 hurricane. Hurricane Dorian’s falling wind speeds since then made it a Category 4 storm Monday morning. From there, it weakened further.

However, Dorian remains an extremely destructive storm.

Stay tuned to the latest forecast as Dorian’s track and intensity become more certain. 

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Spaghetti models

Each line represents a computer model’s best “guess” of where the center of the storm will go. Together, they look like spaghetti noodles. Remember, impacts from a tropical system can and do occur miles away from the center.

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Tropical track

This is the latest “cone of uncertainty,” which shows an area where the center of the storm could go, when and how strong it might be at the given time.

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Watches and warnings

What’s a watch? What’s a warning? Here are the official alerts that can be issued for your area and what you should do.

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