'Catastrophic' Dorian now strongest hurricane to hit Bahamas region in modern records

Source: NBC News

'Catastrophic' Dorian now strongest hurricane to hit Bahamas region in modern records

The hurricane shifted Saturday as forecasters said it was on course to get close to Florida but make landfall in Georgia and the Carolinas.

Sept. 1, 2019, 5:27 AM EDT / Updated Sept. 1, 2019, 12:03 PM EDT
By Yuliya Talmazan and Kalhan Rosenblatt

Hurricane Dorian strengthened to a "catastrophic" Category 5 storm early Sunday as it closed in on the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center said.

As of 11 a.m. ET, Hurricane Dorian had been deemed the "strongest hurricane in modern record for the northwest Bahamas," according to the NHC.

The storm was in the midst of bringing "catastrophic" conditions to the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas, the NHC's latest report said, bringing devastating maximum sustained winds of 180 mph. It is forecast to hit Grand Bahama Island later on Sunday.

The hurricane shifted Saturday as forecasters said it was on course to get close to Florida, but make landfall in Georgia and the Carolinas.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hurricane-dorian-closes-bahamas-extremely-dangerous-storm-n1048691