Dorian gains might as it takes aim at Florida

This GOES-16 satellite image taken on Aug 28, at 17:20 UTC and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows Dorian, a Category 1 hurricane,

crossing over the US and British Virgin Islands. Forecasters say it could grow to Category 3 status as it nears the US mainland as early as the weekend. (AP)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Aug 29, (RTRS): Hurricane Dorian churned in the Atlantic, picking up speed early on Thursday, fueled by warm waters as it took aim at the US coast and threatened to become a dangerous category 3 storm.

Dorian had sideswiped the Caribbean without doing major damage but Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Wednesday and asked east coast Floridians load up with at least 7 days worth of supplies, such as food and water.

“All indications are that by this Labor Day weekend, a powerful hurricane will be near or over the Florida peninsula,” the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in an advisory.

The US Coast Guard warned that all pleasure boats at the Port of Key West should seek safe harbor before the Labor Day weekend begins.

And ocean-going vessels should make plans to leave the port ahead of the storm, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

A US Air Force base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, home to the largest spaceport in the United States, entered the early stages of hurricane preparations on Wednesday.

Dorian, a category 1 storm, is expected to grow into a category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity, with winds greater than 111 mph (178 km/h) by the time it makes landfall, most likely on Florida’s eastern coast late Sunday or early Monday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.