Hurricane Dorian, one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, weakened slightly on Tuesday to a Category 2 storm as it inches closer to the Florida coast.

The core of Dorian is moving away from Grand Bahama Island, said the National Hurricane Center. It's moving nearly parallel to, but offshore of, the east coast of Florida.

The downgraded storm has picked up speed to 6 miles per hour (9.6 kph), but its strength on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale still indicates maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (177 kph).

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said Tuesday the death toll from the hurricane has risen to seven people, and that more deaths are expected.

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The government of the Bahamas changed the hurricane warning to a tropical storm warning for Grand Bahama and the Abacos Islands in the northwestern Bahamas. The

Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center issued a new hurricane warning for the area spanning from Sebastian Inlet, Florida to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and from North of the Savannah River to Surf City, North Carolina. A hurricane warning indicates that hurricane conditions are expected in the area and "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."

There is also a storm surge warning for the region extending from Jupiter Inlet, Florida, to Surf City, North Carolina, advising that there is a "danger of life-threatening inundation" during the next 36 hours.

A tropical storm warning still remains in effect along the eastern coastal line from Florida to South Carolina, indicating that tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the area within 36 hours.

Dorian is likely to arrive in the east-central region and northeast coast of Florida later Tuesday night. Then, it will move up the Georgia coast, striking South Carolina on Wednesday and North Carolina on Thursday, according to the storm's current trajectory.