On this Friday, August 30, 2019, the image provided by NASA shows a view of Hurricane Dorian from the International Space Station as it churned over the Atlantic Ocean.NASA /AP

Hurricane Dorian's Path Shifts Towards Carolinas, Could Avoid Direct Hit On Florida

The projected route of Hurricane Dorian shifted slightly east on Saturday, raising the possibility of a landslide in Georgia and the Carolinas. And while Florida can survive a direct hit, a Category 4 hurricane can still bring a dangerous storm and storm-force rods.

National Storm Center Director Ken Graham says the storm is slowing to move north.

"We have a top speed of about 2 mph during that turn. It's devastating for the Bahamas," says Graham. "When you're moving at that slow pace, it's raining a lot, it's very long winds. It's really devastating to some of the islands in northern Bahamas."

The Dorian continues to strengthen and now winds up to 150 mph - a 7 mph of Category 5 strength.

In a post on Facebook, NHC wrote that the storm continues to track the West as it nears the Bahamas:

"Hurricane Dorian is centered about 415 miles (670 km) east of West Coast, Florida as of 11 a.m. EDT. Dorian is moving west near 8 mph (13 km / h) and is a slow Must continue farther west. Week. On this track, the core of Dorian must travel southeast and north of the Atlantic well of central Bahamas, staying near or beyond the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday. Hia, Monday and Tuesday night should go to the east coast of Florida. "


According to NHC, four to eight inches of Dorian is expected in the southeastern United States and 12 inches of rain in some isolated areas.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded the state of emergency to include each of the state's 67 counties, citing the storm's "uncertain path". President Trump has also approved DeSantis' request for an emergency declaration in Florida, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide equipment and resources to the state.

Georgia government Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency in 12 counties. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Friday, as did South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster did.

Slow-moving storms such as Dorian are becoming more common as the Earth heats up. In the last 70 years, tropical cyclones around the world have decreased by 10 percent, according to a study published earlier this year. Hurricane Florence in 2018, and Harvey in 2017, were both slow-moving storms.

When storms move slowly, they have time to release a lot of rain. Warm sea water also increases the risk of excessive drift. After Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, researchers found that record high temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico sent huge amounts of water vapor into the storm, which then fell in the form of rain as a landslide.

The water surface temperature in the Atlantic this year, where Dorian formed, is not record-breaking, but the water is warmer than the previous average. This means that there is enough fuel for the storm to be large and wet.