The National Hurricane Center upgraded Tropical Storm Dorian to Hurricane Dorian shortly after noon on Wednesday.
Hurricane #Dorian Advisory 17A: Dorian Becomes a Hurricane Near St. Thomas in the U. S. Virgin Islands. https://t.co/VqHn0u1vgc
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 28, 2019
The storm is expected to impact Puerto Rico before moving northwest into the Atlantic Ocean. The forecast calls for it to pass east of the Bahamas before turning more westward, possibly impcting the northern part of the Bahamas chain and threatening the east coast of Florida.
"On the forecast track, the center of Dorian will pass over or near the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later today," The National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.
WWL TV Meteorologist Dave Nussbaum says Dorian could be a category two or three hurricane by the time it gets near Florida.
#BREAKING: #Dorian has strengthened into a hurricane over St. Thomas Island. Forecast to continue strengthening into a Cat. 3 through landfall likely on Florida’s east Coast on Monday. #lawx #BeOn4 @WWLTV pic.twitter.com/RWfhPI4Sai
— Dave Nussbaum WWL-TV (@Dave_Nussbaum) August 28, 2019"The latest computer models for Dorian show a path along and north of the Bahamas late this week and then make a landfall near Florida's central east coast this weekend as a hurricane."
He does not expect it to threaten Louisiana.
"Models bring it into the far northeast Gulf over the Florida Panhandle next week, but it may be a much weakened system by then. The models show it staying away from Louisiana as it gets drawn to the north/northeast by a trough of low pressure."
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Erin is far off the US East Coast. It could impact part of Canada by the weekend.
