Hurricane Dorian turns northward, slamming Florida with strong winds and rain originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Hurricane Dorian is moving northward, pummeling Florida with strong winds and bands of heavy rain as it makes its way up the Sunshine State's east coast.

Now a Category 2 with sustained winds of 105 mph, the slow-moving storm is expected to turn its wrath on Georgia and the Carolinas later this week.

(MORE: Dramatic video shows people in Bahamas swimming through rushing floodwaters)

The University of Florida canceled classes for Tuesday and Wednesday and more than 10 Florida airports were shuttered as the storm moved in.

"If you are in the evacuation zones" along the coast, "the time to leave is now," South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Tuesday, warning that a western shift of just a few miles could bring enormous damage to the state.

"Prepare for the worst," he said, and "pray for the best."

#Dorian spinning just off the U.S. coast lashing eastern #Florida with wind, waves, and water.

KMLB - Classic Reflectivity 248 nmi 4:18 PM EDT #flwx pic.twitter.com/vitlGwYkWW

— Rob Marciano (@RobMarciano) September 3, 2019

President Donald Trump tweeted, "The U.S. may be getting a little bit lucky with respect to Hurricane Dorian, but please don't let down your guard."

The U.S. may be getting a little bit lucky with respect to Hurricane Dorian, but please don’t let down your guard. As it heads up the coast, lots of very bad and unpredictable things can happen! On the other hand, the Bahamas have been devastated. We are sending crews to help! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2019

'A historic tragedy'

Dorian barreled to shore Sunday afternoon in the Bahamas as a Category 5, making the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfall on record.

The storm hovered over the Bahamas for nearly two days, causing unprecedented destruction, submerging an airport, leveling buildings and killing at least seven people on the Abaco Islands. Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis called the islands "decimated" and said "we can expect more deaths to be recorded."

Minnis took an initial tour by air of the islands, but authorities have not been able to make a full ground assessment. "Our priority at this time is search, rescue and recovery," he said.

He said they have not yet been able to tour Grand Bahama Island, which felt the brunt of Dorian's power for the better part of 24 hours.

"I have never seen destruction like this on this scale on an island before," ABC News correspondent Marcus Moore told "Good Morning America" Tuesday from Marsh Harbour, a town in the Abaco Islands.

PHOTO: Hurricane Dorian dealt massive damage to the Abaco Islands, Bahamas, over Labor Day weekend. (ABC News) More

A U.S. State Department official said the Abaco Islands' Leonard M. Thompson International Airport is completely underwater.

Dorian then came to a grinding halt on Monday morning and remained at a virtual standstill over Grand Bahama, pummeling the island with howling winds and fierce rain.

PHOTO: Hurricane Dorian dealt massive damage to the Abaco Islands, Bahamas, over Labor Day weekend. (ABC News) More

There were reports of heavy flooding in Freeport, the main city on Grand Bahama, where Grand Bahama International Airport and the city's one-story hospital are inundated with water and the main highway has turned into a river, leaving some people trapped, according to the State Department official.

Minnis described the devastation as "unprecedented."

“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy," Minnis told reporters Monday.

PHOTO: Debris from Hurricane Dorian is seen in Elbow Cay, which is just off Abaco in the Bahamas, Sept. 2, 2019. (Josh Terrells) More