Hurricane Dorian changes course, strengthens to Category 4

Hurricane Dorian changed course slightly on Saturday, possibly putting it on track to hit the Carolinas rather than Florida as previously forecast, after a dangerous blast through the Bahamas.

Meteorologists said Dorian has grown into an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm as it heads toward land.

“There’s been a notable change overnight to the forecast of #Dorian after Tuesday. It should be stressed that the new forecast track does not preclude Dorian making landfall on the Florida coast, as large portions of the coast remain in the track cone of uncertainty,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Twitter.

Dorian will keep moving westward through the weekend but is forecast to turn northward, towards the Carolinas, as it approaches the east coast of Florida early next week, the center said.

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis urged residents of the Atlantic Ocean archipelago in the path of the “very powerful and potentially life-threatening hurricane” to seek safety.

The Miami-based NHC said Dorian is expected to be near or over the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday, and near the Florida east coast late Monday.

The storm “has strengthened to an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” on a five-level scale, it said.

Winds have intensified to nearly 145 miles per hour (220 kilometers per hour), according to an NHC update on Saturday morning.

‘Very great danger’

Minnis told a press conference Friday that the storm was potentially fatal.

“Those who refuse to evacuate place themselves in very great danger… Do not put your life and those of your loved ones at unnecessary risk.

“Do not be foolish and try to brave out this hurricane,” Minnis said. “The price you may pay for not evacuating is your life.”

With the path of the storm still uncertain, coastal Florida residents were not under evacuation orders yet but stocked up on food, water and other supplies and made preparations to flee their homes.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a statewide declaration of emergency and urged its millions of residents to prepare for what he said could be a “major event.”

“We’re anticipating a massive amount of flooding,” DeSantis said. “We urge all Floridians to have seven days’ worth of food, medicine, and water.”

“If you’re in an evacuation zone and you’re ordered to evacuate, please do so,” DeSantis said.

The Florida National Guard said about 2,000 service members had been mobilized so far and another 2,000 to be deployed on Saturday.