Hurricane Dorian is now an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm, currently moving west through the Bahamas with sustained winds of 185 mph. There is still uncertainty in the exact location of the expected northward turn, but the forecast brings the center slightly closer to the east coast of Florida. Portions of the east coast of Florida are now under a hurricane watch.
It is important for residents to continue to watch future forecasts as additional shifts in the track are possible. However, the probabilities of significant impacts to the counties of west-central and southwest Florida remain low. Wind gusts of 39 to 57 mph are possible in the eastern part of Hernando County on Tuesday. Also, expect above normal tides of 1 to 2 feet Tuesday night through Thursday.
As there have been no significant changes to the forecasted impacts for our area the Emergency Operations Center continues to operate at a Level 3 – Monitoring. Hernando County Emergency Management will continue to actively monitor the situation.
