Hurricane Dorian makes landfall on Bahamas

Update: Extremely powerful, life-threatening Hurricane Dorian has reached the Bahamas. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday that Dorian made landfall in Elbow Cay at 12:40 p.m. EDT.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to a monstrous 185 mph (295 kph) from 180 mph (285 kph).

The Category 5 storm was moving west at 8 mph (13 kph).

The Hurricane Center says the arrival of the storm poses “a life-threatening situation” with hazards that will cause “extreme destruction.”

Wind gusts were clocked at over 220 mph (354 kph). The storm surge was measured at between 18 to 23 feet (5.4 to 7 meters) above normal tide levels. (AP)

Hurricane Dorian beefed up into a “catastrophic” category 5 storm on Sunday, as it began pounding the northernmost islands of the Bahamas. In the US, new uncertainty over its path reignited fears of a landfall on the American mainland, The Guardian reports.

Officials warned of likely devastation in the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama from 180mph sustained winds and storm surge of up to 20ft.

In a special mid-morning bulletin, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) reported wind gusts above 200mph and warned that “extreme winds and storm surge will continue for several hours”.

Via The Guardian