Story updated to reflect category 5 status

HOLT, Fla., Sept. 1, 2019—Portions of the Florida east coast are now under a tropical storm warning as Hurricane Dorian makes its way toward the United States.

Although the official forecast track does not show a landfall, the National Hurricane Center stresses not to focus on the exact track because an east coast Florida landfall is still a possibility.

Dorian is moving west near 8 mph and a slower westward motion should occur for the next day or two, followed by a gradual turn toward the northwest.

The hurricane is expected to be near or over portions of the northwestern Bahamas later today and tonight where it’s forecast to stall out to a near standstill by Tuesday.

Some fluctuations in intensity are likely but Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next few days, according to the NHC.

Maximum sustained winds are near 160 mph making Dorian a strong category 5 hurricane while nearly stationary over the Bahamas for nearly two days.

Dorian is forecast to continue to strengthen during the next 12 hours before beginning a slow weakening over the shallow Bahamas waters.

Since Dorian is forecast to slow down and turn northward as it approaches the coast, life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds area still possible along portions of the coast by middle of next week.