September 4, 2019 - Hurricane Dorian over Bahamas

On Sunday, September 1, 2019, catastrophic Hurricane Dorian was intensifying as it crept toward The Bahamas. At 2:00 p.m. EDT the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that the eye Dorian had moved over Great Abaco Island as a devastating Category 5 storm, packing sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) with higher gusts, making it the strongest storm to ever hit The Bahamas.

After making landfall, Dorian began a vicious, slow-moving, grinding destruction that continued through most of September 3, crossing Grand Bahama at rate of about 1 mile per house (1.6 km/h). Most people can easily walk 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h). The Bahamas endured 21 hours of battering under Category 5 winds. It wasn’t until 11:00 a.m. on September 2 that Dorian’s winds fell barely below Category 5 status, with the NHC reporting winds of 155 miles per hour (250 km/h). On September 3, Dorian’s eyewall remained planted over Grand Bahama Island as winds slowly began to decrease. As the winds dropped to 120 mph (195 km/h), Dorian dropped about 30 inches of rain and a storm surge of more than 15 feet above normal tides in rose in many areas, accompanied by higher waves. The highest elevation on Grand Bahama is about 40 feet (12 meters), with much of the island lying lower than 20 feet above sea level.

Late on September 3 Hurricane Dorian had begun to move away from The Bahamas, aiming towards a trek just offshore the coast of Florida. At 6:00 p.m. September 3, the outer bands of the hurricane were lashing the east coast of central Florida as Dorian’s core moved nearly parallel to, but offshore of the east coast of Central Florida. The NHC reported sustained winds of 43 mph (69 km/h) and a wind gust of 57 mph (93 km/h) at a weather station at Sebastian Inlet, Florida. The center of the storm was located about 125 miles (200 km) east of Melbourne, Florida and was a strong Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h). Dorian was moving northwest at 6 mph (9 km/h).

On September 2, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquire a true-color image of Hurricane Dorian. The storm was nearly motionless over Grand Bahama Island as a strong Category 5 hurricane.

At least five people have died in the storm in The Bahamas while leaving a path of incredible destruction, destroying homes and businesses. As of the evening of September 3, Dorian is just loosening her grip on the islands, leaving no time for damage assessment. Initial reports from emergency responders include numerous injuries along with widespread structural damage.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 9/2/2019
Resolutions: 1km (1.8 MB), 500m (5.2 MB), 250m (4.4 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC