Hurricane Dorian May Hit Georgia or the Carolinas Instead of Florida

The latest projections for Hurricane Dorian show that Florida may not necessarily be in the most danger. The storm is expected to hit the south-eastern United States on Monday, but according to a new report by The New York Times, Georgia and the Carolinas may actually take the brunt of it.

Hurricane Dorian is now a Category 4 hurricane, making its way through the tropics. After it sweeps across the Bahamas this weekend, it will approach the U.S. mainland, where the damage could be severe. On Saturday, forecasters noted a sharp swerve in its trajectory, possibly taking it north past Florida and on to Georgia and other coastal states.

Of course, it is too soon to take any of these projections as a certainty, but they did bring some relief to panic-stricken Floridians, who were gearing up for the worst storm in over 25 years. Dorian currently has sustained wind speeds of about 140 miles per hour, and could doll out damage that Florida has not seen since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Hurricane Dorian could now make landfall in Georgia or the Carolinas. It still threatens Florida, but the state may avoid a direct hit. https://t.co/Vfd7IW7vIC

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 31, 2019

Wherever it hits, Hurricane Dorian will bring about dangerous conditions, possible flooding and property damage. The storm may drop to a Category 3 some time on Tuesday morning, forecasters say, but that is still enough to wreak havoc on beach-side communities.

Current projections for the hurricane's path show it coming in close to Florida without actually touching down. The eye of the storm will remain off-shore in this scenario, finally making landfall just past Georgia, on the coast of South Carolina.

However, even that map shows a huge shaded in area, allowing for slight quirks in the hurricane's path. Meteorologists call this the "cone of uncertainty," as they cannot predict storm activity with absolute accuracy.

Even with this hopeful news, Florida is not taking the storm lightly. Gov. Ron DeSantis has not dropped the state of emergency in his state, and issued a statement warning people not to get too comfortable.

"If it bumps just a little west, then you're looking at really, really significant impacts," he reportedly said. "Don't make any assumptions, remain vigilant, and be prepared. You don't want to overread these tracks. You're still looking at really significant storm surge in the east coast of Florida. You're looking at major flooding events in different parts of the state."

Dorian has presented a rare challenge for forecasters, who are not used to a storm with such a slow pace. Experts told The New York Times that Hurricane Dorian is "erratic," even as it grows to a Category 4. On Friday night, it was crossing the ocean at just 10 miles per hour, much slower than they are used to.

Stay tuned for updates on Hurricane Dorian.