ORLANDO, Fla. – Here's the latest on Hurricane Dorian, which remains on a projected path to Florida.
- Wind speeds 140 mph as of Friday evening
- Forecast to make landfall near Fort Pierce as Cat. 4 storm
- Predicted to be east of Orlando as Cat. 3 late Tuesday or early Wednesday
- Most recent track places most of Central Florida in path of major hurricane
11 p.m.
As of Friday at 11 p.m. Hurricane Dorian has been upgraded to a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 140 mph. Dorian is moving at 10 mph and is still moving northwest. The eye was 545 miles east of West Palm Beach as of Friday evening.
8:38 p.m.
As of Friday at 8:30 p.m. Hurricane Dorian has been upgraded to a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 130 mph. Dorian is moving at 10 mph and is still moving northwest. The eye was 575 miles east of West Palm Beach as of Friday evening.
8 p.m.
As of Friday at 8 p.m. Hurricane Dorian remains a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 mph. Dorian is moving at 10 mph and is still moving northwest. The eye was 575 miles east of West Palm Beach as of Friday evening.
5 p.m.
Hurricane Dorian is making a slow approach at 9 mph and is expected to arrive off Florida's east coast as a Category 3 hurricane sometime Monday night, according to the most recent National Hurricane Center track.
The latest models shows Dorian maintaining a Category 2 while it moves up the Florida peninsula, meaning most of Central Florida will be in the path of a major hurricane as it moves up the coast.
4:55 p.m.
Officials at Florida's largest airport say it will halt commercial flight operations early Monday in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian.
Officials at Orlando International Airport said in a statement Friday that airplanes will stop flying in and out of the airport starting at 2 a.m. Monday. Airport officials say that will give Orlando International Airport's 25,000 workers enough time to secure their homes and be with their families.
The airport had 47.7 million passengers travel through it last year.
Click here to see Hurricane Dorian will affect transportation in Central Florida.
2:20 p.m.
AAA says there's plenty of gas in Florida as Hurricane Dorian approaches. It's just a matter of getting it to the state's gas stations.
The auto and travel service group said Friday in a statement that retailers are having trouble keeping up with surging demand since gas stations can only hold so much fuel at a time.
AAA says Florida will continue to get shipments of gas as long as its ports stay open.
The primary delivery points are ports in Jacksonville, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale. From the ports, the fuel is delivered to gas stations by tanker trucks.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered state troopers to escort the trucks to the gas stations.
Dorian strengthened to a major Category 3 hurricane Friday, capable of inflicting devastating damage. It is expected to reach the Florida coast by late Monday or early Tuesday.
2 p.m.
Hurricane Dorian has strengthened to a major Category 3 storm. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the hurricane is "extremely dangerous" and poses a significant threat to Florida and the northwestern Bahamas.
Dorian was located 445 miles east of the northwest Bahamas at 2 p.m. EDT on Friday. It had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph and was moving northwest at 10 mph.
A hurricane watch was in effect for northwestern Bahamas. Hurricane conditions are possible by Sunday.
The center said additional strengthening is expected as the storm approaches the Florida peninsula.
11:45 a.m.
President Donald Trump approved Florida's emergency declaration.
"The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 67 Florida counties," White House officials said in a news release.
This means Florida will receive FEMA services, emergency protective measures and federal assistance.
11:30 a.m.
The sounds of hammers banging into plywood and cash registers dinging are echoing across the Bahamas as the archipelago that lies southeast of Florida rushes to prepare for Hurricane Dorian .
The Category 2 storm is expected to strengthen in its approach to the northwest Bahamas on Saturday and then move over or near that region Sunday.
Dorian was located 480 miles (770 kilometers) east of the northwest Bahamas at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday. It had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph) and was moving northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).
A hurricane watch was in effect for northwestern Bahamas, where long lines formed at gas stations and grocery stores Friday. Supplies like canned food and bottled water were quickly disappearing in Grand Bahama Island.
11 a.m.
The latest track for Dorian continues to show the storm hitting Florida as a Category 4 hurricane and tracking toward the Orlando area.
Dorian was located 480 miles east of the Bahamas with winds of 110mph. Dorian is traveling northwest at 10 mph.
The storm "weakens" to a Category 3 hurricane shortly after making landfall Tuesday morning before reaching the Orlando area at a Category 1 storm late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
10:40 a.m.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urges residents to listen to their local officials as they decide whether to evacuate before Hurricane Dorian hits the state early next week.
At a Friday briefing in Tallahassee, DeSantis said the storm's uncertain path and the fact that the impacts from Dorian won't be felt as early as initially anticipated means county emergency management officials are "taking the time to digest what it means and then make decisions."
The governor said there will be evacuations. But he added that if people evacuate too soon, they could be heading into the path of the storm if the path changes.
9:15 a.m.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said Floridians should expect widespread power outages and flooding from Hurricane Dorian.
DeSantis said Dorian will be a "multi-day event," and residents should plan on stocking up food and water to last seven days.
In addition, the governor said the shoulders on major highways have been cleared in case they're needed evacuations. As of now, drivers cannot use the shoulders.
The Florida Highway Patrol, meanwhile, will escort fuel trucks where needed in the state to ensure delivery to gas stations. DeSantis said there's no shortage of gas, but delivery to local stations can sometimes be delayed.
DeSantis said the state is prepared to distribute nearly 2 million meals, if needed.
9 a.m.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says it's concerned by Hurricane Dorian's slow motion as it approaches Florida's coast.
The Hurricane Center says slow movement by the storm as it hits Florida would put parts of the state "at an increasing risk of a prolonged, drawn-out event of strong winds, dangerous storm surge and heavy rainfall."
The storm is expected to increase to a major Category 3 hurricane later in the day Friday and could hit the U.S. on Tuesday as a Category 4 storm.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency, clearing the way to bring in more fuel. Georgia's governor has followed suit.
8 a.m.
Hurricane Dorian's winds have increased to 110 mph.
Dorian is 255 miles east-northeast of the Bahamas, moving northwest at 12 mph.
Dorian remains on a path toward Florida, with nearly the entire state in the cone of uncertainty.
7:25 a.m.
With Hurricane Dorian heading toward Florida's East Coast, Florida Power and Light has activated its emergency response plan.
The company says in a news release that it has secured some 13,000 employees and additional personnel to help restore power after the storm hits. They're also working with utility companies across the country to pre-position crews and additional equipment in advance of Dorian's landfall.
FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy said the company operates more than 48,000 miles of overhead powerlines across the state. The company says to prepare for power outages because of all the trees that surround the power lines.
5 a.m. Friday
Dorian is a Category 2 hurricane packing 105 mph sustained winds about 260 miles east-northeast of the Bahamas. Dorian is moving northwest at 12 mph.
Dorian is projected to become a Category 4 hurricane later in the day, and the latest track shows the storm hitting Florida near West Palm Beach, then trekking through Orlando as a Category 1 hurricane.
8:35 p.m. Thursday
Unsure where Hurricane Dorian is going to land over Labor Day weekend, many Florida residents faced a sense of helplessness as the storm approaches.
In a video he tweeted Thursday evening, President Donald Trump said Dorian could be an "absolute monster."
The National Hurricane Center said the Category 2 storm is expected to strengthen into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 and slam into the U.S. on Monday somewhere between the Florida Keys and southern Georgia.
With the storm's track still unclear, no immediate mass evacuations have been ordered.
Across much of the state, residents picked the shelves clean of bottled water and lined up at gas stations.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency, clearing the way to bring in more fuel. Georgia's governor has followed suit.
6:50 p.m.
Florida's largest power company says it has secured about 13,000 employees and additional personnel to work to restore powerlines and equipment damaged by Hurricane Dorian.
Florida Power and Light also said Thursday that it is working with utilities nationwide to send additional crews and equipment ahead of the landfall.
FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy says they're taking Hurricane Dorian seriously and have activated an emergency response plan in anticipation of its impact.
FPL serves about 10 million people in the state of Florida and operates more than 48,000 miles (77,000 kilometers) of overhead power lines.