Hurricane Dorian, the 2nd hurricane this season, has already passed over a number of Caribbean countries that were seriously affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. Advanced precautions were taken to limit the amount of damage this time around and thankfully most islands have escaped relatively unscathed.

Published 5 years ago

Hurricane Dorian is an active tropical cyclone currently approx. 300 miles east of the SE Bahamas with maximum sustained winds between 85-140km/h.

Dorian is the fourth named storm and second hurricane since the 2019 hurricane season began and forecasts predict it will threaten the southeast USA with dangerous amounts of rainfall as it intensifies over the next couple of days.

Dorian came from a tropical wave in the Central Atlantic and officially became a hurricane in the afternoon of August 28th.

From August 26 to 28th, the storm passed over a number of Caribbean countries that had been seriously affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 (many of which are still recovering). Advanced precautions were taken to limit the amount of damage this time around, especially in Puerto Rico.

Dangerous winds mainly affected the Virgin Islands where gusts reached 111 mph (179 km/h) yesterday. Dorian caused flooding in the BVIs, power outages and some minor damage, but nothing like what happened two years ago.

Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola report on their website: None of the boats at Nanny Cay, on or off the water, suffered any issues. The property came through unscathed as well. This was the first storm since 2017’s Hurricane Irma and a little reminder that you can never over-prepare for, or under-estimate, the direction and strength of developing tropical systems.

Tropical Storm Watches were issued for Barbados, Saint Lucia, and Puerto Rico and small craft advisories for Dominica. A state of emergency was declared for the USVIs on August 28, and one day later the same was declared for the whole state of Florida.

The National Hurricane Center’s latest surf prediction is that swells around the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico should gradually diminish today. Swells are likely to begin affecting the east-facing shores of the Bahamas and the southeastern United States coast during the next few days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Chris Parker of the Marine Weather Center has a hurricane Dorian analysis and forecast on his facebook page.

Further Reading:

• National Hurricane Center Advisories for Dorian – https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#Dorian
• BBC News – Hurricane Dorian Extremely Dangerous Storm – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49515022