Hurricane Dorian lost some of its punch but grew in size on Tuesday, picking up speed and forecast to come "dangerously close" to Florida's coast after pounding Grand Bahama Island for about a day, killing at least five people

One of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record had hovered over the Bahamas on Tuesday killing at least five people and levelling houses.

The storm is expected to approach dangerously close to the southeastern coast of the US, according to forecasters, who have warned it could inflict damage from Florida to Virginia and beyond.

On Tuesday the hurricane weakened to a Category 2 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale early on Tuesday, with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center moved the storm's "cone of uncertainty" slightly eastward on Monday, but they stressed a minor change could see Dorian head back to the mainland.