Hurricane Dorian has now entered unchartered territory.
At 11 a.m., the Category 5 storm logged maximum sustained winds of 180 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), making it the strongest hurricane in modern history to hit the northwestern Bahamas.
Dorian’s center was about 20 miles east of Great Abaco as of 11 a.m., moving west at 7 miles per hour.
Catastrophic hurricane conditions are occurring in Abaco and will spread across Grand Bahama later today and tonight.
Storm surge, which have been called “life-threatening” will raise water levels by as much as 18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore winds on Abaco and Grand Bahama. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.
Dorian is now tied for the fourth-strongest winds in the Atlantic since at least 1950.
The hurricane strengthened to a Category 5 storm around 8 a.m. Sunday and then burst into a massive 180 mile per hour hurricane with gusts up to 220 miles per hour as of 11 a.m. as it approached the northern Bahamas, including Abaco and Grand Bahama.
