Dorian now Category 3 storm, Florida out of "Cone of Uncertainty"

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Hurricane Dorian is now a Category 3 storm after battering the Bahamas for two days.

At 5 a.m. on Tuesday, the ferocious storm's center had barely budged. It was parked over Grand Bahama Island. But, its wind speeds lessened to 120 mph.

The National Hurricane center said Dorian is expected to move "dangerously close" to the Florida east coast Tuesday through Wednesday evening, then move north to coastal Georgia and South Carolina on Wednesday night and Thursday.

"Dorian is going to make a slow drift to the north. It is still stationary, based on the latest observations from the Hurricane Center. The great news tonight is, we can see on the satellite picture, it is no longer shaped very well. That's the reason why the official forecast track has been shifted farther away from Florida again," said FOX 35 Chief Meteorologist Glenn Richards.

"Weakening will continue as Dorian passes approximately 100 miles (160.93 km) offshore of Brevard County Tuesday night. The strongest winds will begin striking the coast by noon Tuesday with the peak winds arriving near midnight," Richards added.

The hurricane center warns of life-threatening storm surges and dangerous winds along portions of Florida's east coast. Dorian will be close to Florida's coast starting late Monday through Wednesday evening. It will move close to Georgia and the South Carolina coasts afterwards.

ACTIVE WATCHES AND WARNINGS:

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for:

Lantana to the Savannah River

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for:

North of Deerfield Beach to south of Lantana
Altamaha Sound GA to South Santee River SC

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:

Grand Bahama and the Abacos Islands in the northwestern Bahamas
Jupiter Inlet to to Ponte Vedra Beach

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:

North of Deerfield Beach to Jupiter Inlet
North of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL to South Santee River, SC

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

North of Deerfield Beach to Jupiter Inlet

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:

North of Golden Beach to Deerfield Beach
Lake Okeechobee

Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas on Sunday as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and wind gusts up to 220 miles per hour. Although it has weakened to a Category 3 storm, it continues to batter Bahamas, causing catastrophic damage and flooding. The storm is still moving over the area as it slowly inches west-northwest.

A life-threatening storm surge will reportedly raise water levels by as much as 18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels at the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.

Large swells will continue to affect the Bahamas, Florida east coast, and southeastern United States coast during the next few days. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions are likely.

The NHC says that the storm surge and the tide will cause flooding as rising waters move inland from the shoreline. Water could reach four to seven feet between Volusia/ Brevard County and Jupiter Inlet. Then water north of Deerfield Beach to Jupiter Inlet could reach two to four feet.

Dorian will also reportedly produce heavy rainfall. 12 to 24 inches are expected in the northwestern Bahamas, with isolated amounts of 30 inches possible. One to three inches are forecasted in the Central Bahamas, with isolated amounts of six inches. 5 to ten inches are expected in the coastal Carolinas, with an isolated amount of 15 inches possible. Four to eight inches are possible in the the Atlantic Coast and between the Florida Peninsula through Georgia, with isolated amounts of ten inches possible. Life-threatening flash foods are possible.

HOW YOU CAN PREPARE FOR DORIAN

See what schools are closed HERE.

See active evacuation notices HERE.

Find the nearest emergency shelter HERE.

For the latest on Dorian, visit ORLANDOHURRICANE.com.

You can also monitor the tropics with the Fox 35 Weather App.