Grand Bahama remains under tropical storm warning, all-clear expected tonight
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — After hammering the Abacos and Grand Bahama for over 48-hour with hurricane force winds, and sea surges ranging from 18 to 23 feet, which submerged entire communities, Hurricane Dorian has finally begun to move away from those islands, though tropical storm force winds were still expected until late this evening.
The storm was moving at around six miles per hour, after coming to a near standstill over Grand Bahama for much of Monday.
As of 8 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said the core of the storm was moving nearly parallel, but offshore of the east coast of central Florida.
The storm had sustained maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour.
A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Grand Bahama and the Abacos.
Dorian is expected to remain a powerful storm over the next few days and has become a larger hurricane.
Hurricane-force winds extent outward up to 60 miles from the center of the system, while tropical-storm force winds extend outward 175 miles.
Residents who have been either trapped in their homes or remain in shelters, some of which have been breached with several feet of water, could face these conditions for many more hours, as water levels are expected to subside, albeit slowly, on Grand Bahama and Abaco tonight.
An additional one to three inches of rain is expected over the northwestern Bahamas until Friday, compounding the flooding. The total rainfall over the impacted islands was pegged at around 30 inches.
“This rainfall may cause life-threatening flash floods,” the National Hurricane Center said.
“Large swells will affect the northwestern Bahamas, and the entire southeastern United States coast from Florida through North Carolina during the next several days.”
Tropical storm conditions will continue on Grand Bahama and along the Treasure Coast of Florida for a few more hours.
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