Hurricane Dorian Now a 'Catastrophic Category 5' Storm

Hurricane Dorian is now a "catastrophic" Category 5 storm (opens in new tab) and the strongest on modern record as it approaches the northwestern Bahamas in the Caribbean, according to a National Hurricane Center update today (Sept. 1).

As of 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), Dorian has maximum wind speeds of 185 mph (295 km/h) as the storm battered Great Abaco Island, the NHC wrote in an afternoon update (opens in new tab). The storm is about 185 miles (295 km) east of West Palm Beach, Florida.

"Devastating hurricane conditions are expected in the Abacos Islands very soon and these conditions will spread across Grand Bahama Island later today," NASA officials said today in a morning update (opens in new tab).

That forecast has borne out, the NHC reporting of "catastrophic conditions occurring in the Abacos Islands" in an 11 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) update.

Watch: See Hurricane Dorian in Action in these Gifs from Space (opens in new tab)
Related: How NASA and NOAA Track Hurricane Dorian from Space (opens in new tab)

The eye of Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm, dominates this view from NOAA's GOES-East satellite as the storm approached the Abaco Islands in the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 1, 2019. (Image credit: NOAA)

Hurricane Dorian is currently moving west across the Caribbean at about 7 mph (11 km/h), a relatively slow speed, and is expected to dump massive amounts of rain on the Abaco Islands.

"Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the
center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140
miles (220 km)," the NHC said in its 2 p.m. update.

Dorian is expected to slowly move west over the next two days before turning northeast.

As #HurricaneDorian approached the #AbacoIslands, NOAA's #GOESEast zoomed in on the powerful storm's eye. The Cat. 5 storm's "maximum winds have increased to near 175 mph with gusts over 200 mph," according to @NHC_Atlantic. Follow the storm: https://t.co/VDEWvXtPxt pic.twitter.com/wLnZjJJYMOSeptember 1, 2019

"On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will continue to pound Great Abaco today and the move near or over Grand Bahama Island tonight and Monday," NHC officials said in the update. "The hurricane should move closer to the Florida east coast late Monday through Tuesday night."

NASA's Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, has taken steps to safeguard itself against Hurricane Dorian. On Friday (Aug. 30), center officials moved a massive 400-foot Mobile Launcher tower into the shelter of the center's 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building to protect it from damage.

The projected path of the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian as of 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) on Sept. 2, 2019. (Image credit: National Hurricane Center)

NASA, the NHC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are using satellites in orbit and U.S. Air Force flights through the eye of Hurricane Dorian itself to track the storm's progress. They've even captured videos of the storm from the International Space Station.

NHC officials warned that Hurricane Dorian's path could change. The storm's eye is currently forecast to remain offshore as the storm moves up the U.S. East Coast from Florida to Georgia, and then on to the Carolinas. Dorian's powerful winds should reach the eastern portions of those states.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 12 p.m. EDT to include the latest forecasts for Hurricane Dorian from the National Hurricane Center. A subsequent update at 2:53 p.m. EDT added new details from the NHC.

NASA Sees Hurricane Dorian from Space Station (Video) (opens in new tab)
NASA's Kennedy Space Center Prepares for Hurricane Dorian (opens in new tab)
Photos: Most Powerful Storms of the Solar System (opens in new tab)

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award (opens in new tab) for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast (opens in new tab) with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network (opens in new tab). To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik (opens in new tab).