Bahamas News
ALERT #28 ON HURRICANE DORIAN ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY SUNDAY, 1ST SEPTEMBER 2019 AT 6AM EDT.
#Nassau, September 1, 2019 – Bahamas – … EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE DORIAN WILL HIT ABACO AND GRAND BAHAMA TODAY ….
…LIFE-THREATTENING STORM SURGE, HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED…
A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS WHICH INCLUDES: NORTH ELEUTHERA, ABACO, GRAND BAHAMA, BIMINI, THE BERRY ISLANDS AND NEW PROVIDENCE.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH ANDROS.
A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLAND WITHIN 48 HOURS.
AT 5AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DORIAN WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.4 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 76.0 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 72 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF MARSH HARBOUR, ABACO; 74 MILES NORTHEAST OF NORTH ELEUTHERA; 115 MILES EAST- SOUTHEAST OF EAST END, GRAND BAHAMA; AND 125 MILES NORTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.
HURRICANE DORIAN IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AT NEAR 8 MPH AND A SLOWER WESTWARD MOTION IS FORECAST FOR THE NEXT DAY OR TWO, FOLLOWED BY A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST. ON THIS TRACK, THE CORE OF DORIAN SHOULD BE NEAR OR OVER ABACO AND GRAND BAHAMA TODAY AND TONIGHT.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 150 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DORIAN IS A STRONG CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY, BUT DORIAN IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A POWERFUL HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
THE LATEST FORECAST TRACK INDICATES THAT RESIDENTS IN ABACO ARE NOW EXPERIENCING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AND WILL BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AT ABOUT 11AM THIS MORNING. MEANWHILE, RESIDENTS IN EAST GRAND BAHAMA WILL BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AT ABOUT 9AM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AT ABOUT 6PM.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BEGIN IN WEST END, GRAND BAHAMA AT ABOUT 5PM AND INCREASE IN STRENGTH THROUGH TONIGHT. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BE EXPERIENCED BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8AM TO 8PM TODAY IN NORTH ELEUTHERA. RESIDENTS IN NEW PROVIDENCE AND NORTH ELEUTHERA ARE NOW EXPERIENCING INTERMITTING SEVERE SHOWER ACTIVITIES FROM THE OUTER-BANDS OF DORIAN. THESE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY.
THE EYE OF DORIAN IS NOW FORECAST TO PASS OVER ABACO BETWEEN MARSH HARBOUR AND TREASURE CAY BETWEEN 3PM AND 4PM TODAY. THE EYE WILL THEN MOVE OVER EASTERN GRAND BAHAMA BETWEEN 11PM TONIGHT AND 5AM MONDAY MORNING. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD NOT BE DECEIVED BY THE LULL IN THE WINDS AS THE EYE PASSES BUT REMAIN INDOORS AND PREPARE FOR THE SECOND PHASE OF THE HURRICANE.
SINCE DORIAN IS EXPECTED TO SLOW DOWN AS IT NEARS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, A PROLONGED PERIOD OF LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES UP TO 15 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE EASTERN AND NORTHERN SHORES OF ELEUTHERA AND ABACO TODAY AND THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN SHORES OF GRAND BAHAMA TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY.
DORIAN IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 12 TO 24 INCHES OVER PORTIONS OF ABACO AND GRAND BAHAMA AND 2 TO 4 INCHES AND UP TO 6 INCHES IN ISOLATED AREAS OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS.
MARINERS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN IN PORT AS LARGE TO DANGEROUS SWELLS ARE LIKELY.
THE NEXT ALERT ON HURRICANE DORIAN WILL BE ISSUED AT 9AM EDT SUNDAY, 1ST SEPTEMBER 2019.
PREPARED BY: JEFFREY SIMMONS