Hurricane Dorian is starting to move again, inching toward the northwest and potentially up the U.S. East Coast after bashing the Bahamas for almost two days with high winds and driving rains that have inflicted huge damage, killing five on one island alone.
The storm is now crawling at 1 mile per hour with sustained winds of around 120 miles (190 kilometers) per hour, making it a Category 3 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said in an 8 a.m. New York time advisory. But the movement is expected to speed up later Tuesday and on Wednesday, with Dorian forecast to move "dangerously close" to the Florida coastline as it travels north toward Georgia and the Carolinas.
While its winds have weakened, Dorian is threatening to inundate coastal communities with rain, rising sea levels and a life-threatening storm surge even if the U.S. mainland dodges a head-on blow. Shoreline residents and businesses in Florida, George and the Carolinas have been ordered by their respective state governments to evacuate.