Hurricane Dorian Updates: Storm heads Northwest toward Georgia, South Carolina after battering Bahamas

Over the weekend, Hurricane Dorian intensified to Category 5 strength before battering the Bahamas, becoming one of the strongest hurricanes on record to make landfall in the Atlantic Basin.  After stalling over the Bahamas, the storm is expected to track along the eastern U.S. coast, impacting Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. 

As of Tuesday (9/3) morning, Dorian was located north of Grand Bahama Island, crawling northwest at just 2 mph.  Despite being downgraded to a strong Category 2 storm, Dorian still packs maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and will bring heavy rains and potentially life-threatening storm surge as it travels along the U.S. East Coast. 

The safety and well-being of our staff is extremely important to us, and as such, our operations in the Savannah area will be closed on Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Wednesday, Sept. 4 due to the storm.  Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your local UWL customer service representative.

Continue reading for the latest storm updates. 

Hurricane Dorian track forecast as of Tuesday (9/3) morning. (National Hurricane Center)

Bahamas bear the brunt of Dorian's wrath

Dorian slammed into the Bahamas over the weekend with fierce 185 mph winds, lingering for more than 24 hours and deluging the islands with over 30 inches of torrential rain and a 23-foot storm surge.  Video and images shared by the Washington Post this morning show a toll of absolute devastation on Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands, two locations where the eye of the storm made landfall. 

NOAA captured the below satellite image of the storm's eye as it travelled over Grand Bahama Island: 

Dorian may spare Florida a direct hit, will impact coastal Georgia & Carolinas

While no longer expected to make landfall in Florida, Dorian is currently forecast to travel dangerously close to the east coast of Florida on Tuesday evening before making its way north toward the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Wednesday.  On Thursday, the storm is expected to impact North Carolina.  Locations farther north, like Virginia Beach, could see heavy rains and tropical storm force winds by Friday and Saturday.

The states of Georgia and South Carolina have issued Mandatory Evacuations for many areas ahead of Dorian.

The National Hurricane Center warned:

“Life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds are expected along portions of the Florida east coast and the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, regardless of the exact track of Dorian’s center. Water levels could begin to rise well in advance of the arrival of strong winds. ... The risk of life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds continues to increase along the coast of North Carolina.  ... The flash flood threat will increase today and tonight along the Florida peninsula and then spread up the southeast and mid-Atlantic coast during the middle and latter part of the week."

Dorian will bring flooding to the U.S. Southeast through Friday, with parts of Florida's and Georgia's Atlantic coasts set to receive 3 to 9 inches of rain, according to the weather service.  

Port Conditions

Hurricane Dorian will cause many of the U.S. Southeast ports to shut down for most of the week. 

FreightWaves also reported that Norfolk Southern will close all origin facility gates for intermodal shipments destined to Charleston and Savannah by 4 p.m. Tuesday, as well as its Charleston Intermodal Facility. The closures are expected to last at least through Friday, September 6. 

Port and intermodal closures will impact shipments that are arriving or departing from areas in the hurricane's projected path. Expect delays throughout the U.S. Southeast and Atlantic regions due to damaging winds and flooding caused by Dorian.

PORT CONDITIONS LIST (As of 9/3):

FREEPORT, BAHAMAS
Port Condition: ZULU

MIAMI PORTS
Port Condition: ZULU

PORT CANAVERAL
Port Condition: ZULU

PORTS OF JACKSONVILLE & FERNANDINA
Port Condition: YANKEE

GEORGIA PORTS (SAVANNAH & BRUNSWICK)
Port Condition: CLOSED on Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Wednesday, Sept. 4; World Distribution Services (WDS) warehouse and trucking operations in Savannah, GA will also be closed.

PORT OF CHARLESTON, SC & GEORGETOWN, SC
Port Condition: X-RAY; CLOSED Wednesday, September 4 through Thursday, September 5

PORTS OF WILMINGTON & MOREHEAD CITY, NC
Port Condition: X-RAY

PORT OF VIRGINIA
Port Condition: X-RAY

The Port Conditions are:

• Condition Whiskey (IV): The ALERT condition in which winds above 39 mph are expected within 72 hours.
• Condition X-Ray (III): The READINESS condition in which winds above 39 mph are expected within 48 hours.
• Condition Yankee (II): The WARNING condition in which winds above 39 mph are expected within 24 hours.
• Condition Zulu (I): The DANGER condition in which winds above 39 mph are expected within 12 hours and until the storm has passed and is no longer a threat.

View U.S. Coast Guard Updates here >>

We will continue to monitor Hurricane Dorian.  The safety and well-being of our staff is extremely important to us, and as such, our operations in the Savannah area will be closed on Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your local UWL customer service representative or contact us via the button below.