Hurricane Dorian weakens as Florida braces for impact; Bahamas devastated, death toll rises

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Hurricane Dorian weakens as Florida braces for impact; Bahamas devastated, death toll rises
Florida began to feel the presence of a weakened, but larger Hurricane Dorian as it churned east of Cape Canaveral Tuesday night after devastating the Bahamas. With maximum sustained wind speeds of 110 mph, Dorian, now a Category 2 storm, packs a "life-threatening" storm surge, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. While the storm had been downgraded, forecasters warned its system had grown in size. The storm advisory warned Florida’s central Atlantic coast could see damage as Dorian charges northward.

Officials urged over two million people in Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina to evacuate. Dorian is forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina Thursday through Friday morning, producing 5 to 10 inches of rainfall resulting in dangerous flash floods.

Dorian was the most powerful hurricane ever to hit the Bahamas. It devastated the island as a Category 5 storm and killed at least seven people in its wake over the span of several days, officials said. However, the full scope of Dorian's damage in the Bahamas remains unknown. Officials are bracing for apocalyptic carnage and expect the death toll in the Bahamas to rise dramatically. Click here to read more on our top story.