Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas on Sunday afternoon as a storm the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said is the strongest in more than eight decades.

The NHC reportedly said the hurricane hit the Bahamas in Elbow Cay at 12:40 p.m. The hurricane then hit again at 2 p.m. on Great Abaco Island.

The NHC said Dorian is a "life-threatening situation."

ADVERTISEMENT

It also said Dorian is tied as the strongest Atlantic hurricane at landfall, on par with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.

The storm's center is about 185 miles east of West Palm Beach, Fla.

A hurricane watch is in effect in the state from areas north of Deerfield Beach to the Volusia-Brevard county line.